Take What Is Yours
by MistressWinowyll
Summary: The next book in Get What You Wanted. Moka is left to deal with the actions she has placed herself in and suffer the consequences.  Surprises and the unexpected are brought to surface.  What was supposed to be out of reach is now no longer so. Rated M
1. Ch 1 of deceptions

**AN: I want to thank everyone who followed Get What You Wanted. While some may feel how I ended it where it was sort of open ended with a lot of areas unanswered, I can say with full sincerity that it was my intention.**

**How else was I going to transition you into this story?**

**Your Mistress.**

**PS- I hope I didn't upset too many people by not mentioning a continuation. Heh, who am I kidding? I had that planned all along…**

**Without further ado, I introduce you to the next arc.

* * *

**

Take What Is Yours Ch 1

…Of Deception.

**Aono Residence.**

It didn't ring.

No matter how hard she stared, no matter how long she waited, and no matter how much she willed it, the phone she had been sitting anxiously by for the last week and a half, remained inactive and silent.

Aono Kasumi had kept an unbending vigil next to the phone; eating, hovering, picking it up and placing the speaker piece to her ear to make sure the dull drone of an active line had not gone dead. This was the duty given to her since the time she had shared that magical moment when her husband had witness the results of their romantic tumbles.

She was a mommy.

Now, her only child was out there in the world somewhere without her, some how suffering who knows what.

A broken heart? A heated spat with an unfaithful wife? A fistfight with someone who used to be his friend? A long couple of days binging on sake or who knew what else?

She was pretty sure her son was alright, but she just needed to make sure. Moka hadn't called back to let her know they were back together, they had separated, they were working on things still…

Anything would have helped to alleviate her fears that something was wrong.

"He'll call."

Her husband, Tsukune's father spoke, towering over her from behind with his hand resting on her shoulder.

Kasumi just nodded, her unwavering duty to keep an eye on the phone taking precedence over everything else.

"You need to eat," her husband spoke softly, glancing towards the untouched plate on the table.

She simply shrugged. It was unimportant compared to what she needed to do.

Something viscerally clenched her guts, alarming every motherly instinct that she had, that something was wrong and her baby needed her.

"If he was to call right now and said he needed you to rescue him from the end of the world, you would be too weak to do so."

Her soft brown eyes that were rimmed red from lack of sleep and blinking decided to close wearily and concede to the voice of reason. Angling herself just a little bit off center from the phone, she picked up the chop sticks and began to nibble out of necessity instead of desire at the cold food in front of her.

The phone would ring.

It had to.

* * *

**In The Snow Village**

Mizore was lounged on her bed assigned to her with the other four snow women of her village deemed to receive 'donor' help from the Snow Priestess's selection. Each one of the selected receivers were chatting together of some of their lost loves, how they were selected when their partners were unable to do what was needed or had became part of some tragic accident that resulted in their arrival here.

It was for the good of the village.

She had told herself that same line when she realized her and Tsukune were not going to happen. Hutaro Mizore remembered that night so long ago when it was just her and him in the snow flower field, acres upon acres surrounding them with their euphoric and hypnotizing scent, drowning out most people senses and making what should have been an overwhelming need to copulate become a moment of sheer intimacy that nothing her lawful husband or any other man she ever met could equal.

There wasn't a day, at least several times an hour, when that moment of 'what could have been' played in her mind and how wrongfully fate and prophecy had snatched away her happiness.

* * *

**Flashback…**

Mizore's half yukata was opened at her front, her obi untied and her body, smooth flawless skin exposed with her young supple breasts for him to see, was straddling him as she shivered…

…and not from the cold.

She was so scared.

Of what?

Her inevitable fate?

How her friend would receive her?

If her friend would deny her?

Would this change things between her friends and things between with Moka?

She didn't know, but right now, at this moment, Shirayuki Mizore was being selfish.

It was her only chance, she was sure of it.

Then her silly, fumbling and nervous friend Tsukune looked up at her, stupefied and confused, worried and protective of the woman who had pushed him down, expressing her hope and desire to do what came natural in all creatures to create life with her. She begged him, exposed herself to him in her finest yukata and prettiest sandals, praying desperately in her mind and soul that he could take her away from her fate that was about to come by doing something as simple as have sex with her. While he had not told her no, he watched the woman who was as bare to him and separating them was a small piece of white panty.

Her friend, Aono Tsukune, treated her how she had hope he wouldn't: As a very precious friend.

"Why is your face so sad?" He reached up, lovingly, tenderly traced her face with the palm of his hand. "Look how you're shivering. It's like you'd shatter if I touched you."

And that was all he had to say to complete her love for him.

Her body was ready, her heart, her mind, her spirit…everything was there…

For him.

Only him.

Before she knew it, Fate, Prophecy, the snow priestess and all the hell that followed afterwards had snatched her away from what could have and should have been the moment where she made a bond with her passionately humble and cherished friend.

**End Flashback.

* * *

**

It was gone and now here she was. Three children later, married and ruined in her eyes…

She was no longer pure.

Yet, that didn't stop her from hoping, from praying, from…from…

From what? It was done.

This was her last year. Actually, it was not even that. She had months left till she could conceive another child for the sake of the village and she had failed to reach out and get the blessing of the one man who mattered in her eyes.

The Snow Priestess had denied her.

Even when she put in the request, she was told that Aono Tsukune was told of what Mizore had requested of him but had been denied.

It didn't bother her, though. She knew that her Tsukune was considering what she was asking a breach of his marriage vows.

Chuckling in her simple clothes of oversized shirt and simple skirt, she glanced down at the scrap book she had created out of all the newspaper clippings her and her friends had made during their time at the Newspaper Club with some of the previous entries she had of just him.

Tracing her fingers over the faded script, she sighed dreamily around her lollipop.

Oh, how she missed him.

Now, she knew of her fate and everything didn't matter anymore. Gin was to be the donor of her child and everything would be settled. She was informed that there was going to be an insemination process that could ensure fertilization of her eggs and that was how she had wanted it to be.

Smirking to herself, she was sure her old Newspaper sempai would have preferred to do it the old fashion way. The option was available for some of the Yuka-onna, but Mizore wanted nothing to do with the irascible pervert other then receive what was needed to get the process over and done with.

He had more then taken his fair share of 'feels' and inappropriate touchings while her and Kurumu had trained with him.

_No more of that, thank you very much_, Mizore huffed in thought.

Looking down at the wrinkled and well worn pages of her scrap book, she fingered a picture of all of her friends together with the shy and admired Aono Tsukune in the middle, his arm wrapped around Moka's waist in possession.

Every other girl was there, in some way or another silently wishing for their separation so that they could have their chance with the one boy who broke all barriers between monsters and humans.

She had been one of them.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw she had about a day till Gin would be by to do what was needed. Sighing in frustration, she decided it was no use in worrying about it. Three kids were born from her womb from a man who didn't love her but respected her.

Would it matter so much that the fourth would be from someone who had shared a friendly history with her?

As much as she didn't want try and think of becoming linked by flesh to a man who seemed to loathe decency with women, she realized she was doing all she could for the same reason she had married Siiko in the first place.

"It's for the good of the village."

While it didn't give her any peace, she was able to find some comfort that between worlds and dimensions, her beloved friend Aono Tsukune was happy with his wife, enjoying a life she would never know.

* * *

**A Bus Stop In Japan**

"You're going to call me when you get back, right?" A pretty brunette asked as she kissed Morioka Gin at the subway leading to the outskirts of Japan to meet the Busdriver to take him to the Snow Village to seek Mizore.

"Of course, Aoi-chan." Gin touched her cheek, reflecting a promise he had no intention of keeping.

While it confused him as to why they would go so far to gather him, he decided to just take the long ride and just relax. Everything in his life was going good and he had no complaints that things were just smooth sailing from here to another one of Tsukune's little harem girls.

When the word came back that the snow girl he had touched inappropriately so many times was waiting for him, he sighed in delight. While she had already given birth to three kids already…

_Ew._

…he decided that this was more for fulfilling what he could not when Tsukune was still nosing around and stealing his thunder at the Academy.

Finding a seat where he could relax and kick his feet up, he felt the lurch of the subway and everything speed by the windows as it chugged along.

"Two out of five, two out of five," He chanted his little mantra.

_Life was good and getting better.

* * *

_

**At Youkai Academy Medical Facility**

"Where is my daughter!"

"Ma'am, please calm down." The nurse tried to placate the, obvious, witch with the pointy hat and flowing cape, but it was a useless and stupid choice when the woman quickly whipped out her wand and summoned a basin out of thin air.

"If you don't answer me this INSTANT, I will make sure what falls on you is nothing short of a basin filled with Sulfuric Acid! Now you've got five seconds!"

"Okay, there's no need to-"

"5!"

"Wait, just calm down!"

"3!"

"What happened to four!" The nurse paled, and realized the copper basin on top of her was bubbling with a strong smelling liquid.

"1!"

"Shit! She's in room 1402, section B!" the nurse ducked and covered her head with her hands.

"Hmph!" Mrs Sendo spun on her heel with her husband already running down the hall to the mentioned room.

Waiting till they were well outside of ear shot, the nurse quickly punched in a number for security. Mikogami was going to punish her if he found out that someone found Yukari without permission. There were things, very secretive things going on that she was sure with a witch's knowledge in things of a genius's level would be aware of …

…and they would not be too happy.

*CLANG! CLANG!*

The two guards that were guarding Yukari's room were soon face down on the linoleum tiles, drooling unconsciously.

The young witch woke up to the sound of her father pushing the door open and nearly weeping at the sight of his daughter tangled and wrapped up in tubes and IV's, beeping equipment and dripping fluids.

"Duddy!" Yukari's large violet eyes wept guiltily, her lips only parting with the wire holding her jaw in place keeping her teeth clenched making her words still slurred and broken.

Mother and Father Sendo approached their daughter with aching eyes and pain filled hearts.

"My baby!" Her mother came to Yukari's side and embraced her, weeping at the sight of her only child pierced and wounded in the medical bed. "What happened?"

As Yukari explained what had befallen her in the last couple of days, her father had snatched up the chart from her bed and blinked in disbelief.

"Paralyzed and your jaw wired?" After her father's soft growl, he dropped the chart as if it was garbage. "Who did this to you? I want their name and I want their ass!"

"Not until after I do my duty to do the same to them and the person they love the most!" Mrs Sendo promised vehemently.

"Itsh wash an ashident! I shwear, she didn'sh mean-"

"You can't be in here!" Some of the orderlies and a few nurses broke the witch's parents inquiries. "This room is under strict observation for the sake of the patient!"

Bolding to confront the nurse who had addressed them, Mrs Sendo decided to reply in kind.

Nose to nose with her wand in hand and a halo of tarot cards circling over her head, she asked, "And under whose authority has decided my daughter is to be observed?"

Taking a step back, the nurse glanced at the orderlies and found she was not prepared to receive the attention of an angry witch and warlock husband.

"Ahhh…The Headmaster Mikogami-sama. He states this room is to not have any visitors."

"I'm not a visitor. I'm her mother."

"Wait," Mr Sendo called out, glancing at the bags dripping into her daughter's arms. "What is the meaning of this?"

"What is it?" Mrs Sendo called out and circled the bed Yukari resided in to study what her husband was holding in his hands as if ready to crush it like a bug.

"Don't touch that! By the Headmaster's strict order no one is to do anything-"

When Mrs Sendo read the complex ingredients labeled on the bag and their properties, she presented them to her husband and shared a glance between her husband and her daughter. Taking the liberty to close the drip feeding her daughter and remove it from wherever they were attached to her daughter's limbs.

"You can't-!" The nurse began, but was silenced when the thick wand of Yukari's father slapped against the woman's neck.

"I would like for you tell me what I can and can not do to my daughter," Mr Sendo raised his own wand towards the group of people barring the door now. "In fact, I think I have something to say to anyone who would do this and feel it was necessary to administer an Immobility Paralyzer without the consent of her parents!"

"Mwhat?" Yukari screamed, her large eyes growing larger.

"What are you talking about?" The nurse gawked stupefied, "We've only been giving her the prescribed saline solution provided by-"

Yukari glanced down at her own body as if something snatched her attention. "My armths…Ah can feelth them."

Unable to say anything, they sat there and watched, like some kind of unexplained but explainable miracle when everything they thought was wrong with Yukari was incorrect.

Her fingers began to flinch and her toes move…

Reaching out her hand to scan Yukari's body, her mother flinched when she realized there were runes covering her in various places.

"Preservation runes?" Mrs Sendo asked incredulously. "Why would someone cast this on a wounded person?"

"She was badly injured and was given an infusion of blood from the vampire Aono Tsukune." The white scrub woman announced in an impassioned defense. "He saved her life! She was paralyzed and if it wasn't for him your daughter would have died."

Mr and Mrs Sendo glanced at the other and knew automatically what was going on.

"What are you, stupid? That's the most ignorant thing I've ever heard! We witches have incredible regenerative abilities! While they may not be on the level of vampires, they are enough to survive broken spines!" Mrs Sendo educated the nurse.

"And this preservation spell wasn't to preserve life or anything to Yukari from further injury or complication!" Flicking his wand at his daughter in a disgusted manner, the runes that were now visibly broke like fractured glass and light. "It's to preserve properties of a foreign DNA in the new host!"

When the parents and the wounded realize what was going on, it was the medical team who answered what they had been ignorant to.

"Mikogami didn't want to keep Yukari under observation because she was wounded, but to contain the samples of blood that Aono Tsukune gave her."

While the thought seeped into everyone's thoughts, one small voice brought everyone back to the center of focus.

"If dhat's brue, dhen kan I get mah jaw unwired, phlease?"


	2. Ch 2 Unclean

AN: Hello readers, once again your Mistress has a chapter that I hope you all will enjoy. Now, some of you have brought it to my attention that you DON'T like me responding to some reviewers because it takes away from the story.

Skip it, cover your eyes...I don't care.

Get over it.

Why am I being like this? Easy, if everyone gets a stab at me, then I feel it is only fair that I stab back. Case in point.

_blue_  
_ 2011-02-10 . chapter 54 _

_No need for this tantrum. You expected people to not like the ending. Most will read the next story. _

_ Not sure I can continue to support the hissy fits that you and Lotlof seem to be having recently._

*sigh*

Blue, for starters, thank you for reading my story and reviewing...at the end of it. Why do I say end of it and bring you into focus. Easy! You say there is no need for a tantrum, I call it a public awareness to those who don't seem to get the gist of what is involved in writing a story. I'll make somethings clear for everyone reading this now and use the public examples for everyone to be aware of. So, basically, I'm doing a service with your name on it.

If it doesn't apply to you, dear reader, then don't take it personally. If it does, listen up.

Blue, this does refer to you for two reasons.

One- Tantrum is perceptive, I call it a defensive feedback.

Two- you said you are not sure you can continue to support this 'hissy fits' that LOTLOF and I seem to be having recently.

When did you support me? You have reviewed this story one time. I checked. One, frigg'n time. I don't think that warrants you in showing any kind of support at all. If you think it is, then allow me to make it easy for you.

Don't support me. Go away. Shoo.

See? Easily said and done away with.

As far as LOTLOF is concerned, he'll let me know if there is anything bothering him and I'll support him accordingly. With real support not imaginary kind like 'blue'.

Now, I'll say this again, if these comments reflect anything you feel personally, dear reader, then maybe you should take them to heart. If they don't, then please excuse this interruption of the story and know that your Mistress does work hard to try and bring a quality story about in her own way. In the end, remember though, I write this story for me.

I won't apologize for that, ever.

Your Mistress.

* * *

Take What Is Yours

Ch 2 Unclean

She was staggering about, her arms across her breasts, arms wet with blood.

His blood.

"Unclean..." she murmured.

The words left her lips half spoken. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. Green eyes that had once held his gaze looked about an empty world. Empty because he was gone from it.

Tsukune...

So many promises were not only broken but gone forever now.

Why?

It had happened right in front of her, in her arms. He was there, solid and trembling with taut limbs...

In such pain...

She could feel it through him, his breath, his grunts, his words, his eyes...

She'd wanted to save him. To take it all back. To heal him. She's just wanted him to love her again; to back to how things were.

Now he was gone and she had his blood drenching her.

"Unclean..."

She did this. All of this.

Where was she going? What was left for her?

Looking around, she could only see that she was staggering in a swaying, drunken stupor. Behind her was her family. Most of it, anyways. Actually, it was her mother, the man who used to be her father and her sisters.

Oh, yeah, she had lost them too.

What was that sound?

"Unclean..."

It was waves.

Where was she?

Looking around, she thought she recognized the sound of leaves blowing through dead tree limbs and the squawks of crows and ravens.

Tombstones.

Aged and withered, they looked vaguely familiar.

A cliff with a weird overhanging outcropping that curled like an elephants trunk.

It looked funny.

"Unclean..."

Dirty.

She felt dirty.

Why?

_Moka, you smell different._

He'd called her Moka...

...Moka...

She smiled.

Touching her face, her lips, she smiled. The long pink tresses of her hair flew across her face, covering her eyes.

He'd said he would never call her Moka again, but he did.

It was like he had always called her, back when they were...

...were...

"Gone..."

He was gone.

The smile curled her lips in an ugly demented twist.

Why had he said that? What was different? What...what could he possibly mean? She...she...

How could those have been his very last words?

Looking inside of herself, she hoped she could hear what her Inner voice thought, but she knew...

...knew...

That if she was dealing with her husband's loss like this then her Inner was...

What was she doing?

Silence.

After Kahlua had whispered something comforting and simple...

"I'm sorry he's gone, Moka-chan. Come, we have to go."

The blonde lithe young woman had hooked Moka's arms and kept her shocked, unmovable limbs half dragging/half stumbling towards their appointed exit. All she knew at that point was that she had to walk.

Put one foot in front of the other.

Is this what Tsukune felt like when he...

...when he...he...saw her and Gin...

...that day...that night...Did he feel like this?

...Feel like...like...like...

What was Inner feeling?

Like everything that mattered was gone?

When was the last time she saw her? Oh, yeah...

When Mikogami spoke to Lilith.

What did he say?

"You are dismissed. Lilith."

"Yes, Master"

"Cancel the spell. They are free to leave."

"As you wish, Master."

Those were the last words before she found herself outside, there...

She glanced back to where her father, Lord Akashiya and her mother were talking. Ria and Kahlua were watching her with different looks of concern.

Kahlua looked on the verge of tears...

Ria looked...upset?

Why was she upset?

She should go talk to her. Things were...were...

What were they?

"Unclean..."

She could feel his blood soaking her to the skin. Sticky, wet, and the scent...

...it still smelled sooo good.

Moka licked her fingers and smiled nostalgically. It reminded her of him and all the times she used to pounce on him, taking advantage of his quiet, sweet, and humble nature. Oh, she loved him...

...loved him...

"Gone...he's gone..."

Even now, she could smell him. Her whole blouse was smothered with his scent, his blood...

What was she supposed to be feeling right now? She couldn't feel anything other than confusion.

Why?

He was right there in front of her...she was holding him in his arms.

She felt everything, the torturous tremble, the breath squeezed from him, the rip of tendons and muscles under his skin...

"Unclean..."

The break of bones and the separation of sockets at joints, the viscous fluid of blood being strained to flow through veins and arteries...

"Dirty..."

_"Moka, you smell different."_

Those where his last words to her. She was telling him she loved him, she was sorry, she wanted to fix things, to make amends no matter what and he just looked at her. She wanted him to understand just how much she loved him.

He knew.

She tried to out think herself, but she was done being a liar and a prideful fool. Everything came back to her in a rush. That night with Gin, that demolished look in Tsukune's face as he turned away from her and walked away.

Those many touches and kisses, Gin's penetrations and grunts after Tsukune left...

Their once friend now her lover did those adulterous things to her in her mate's room, in their bed...

"Unclean...unclean...unclean..."

Those words she spoke in front of him while her memories were revealed rang in her thoughts, echoing like a banshee's shrill keen.

_"Please, help me put an end to a decision Tsukune and I can not come to grips with. I won't allow him to father them. I don't want a human's mentality to taint the upbringing of the next line of Akashiya. Would you do me the honors?"_

She was scratching at her ears, trying to rip the noise from her mind!

Looking back was always twenty-twenty, but this wasn't looking back...this was living her nightmare in slow motion in her soul as well as her mind._  
_

_"Moka, you smell different."_

Moka wanted to say something, to explain herself, but another thought came to mind, something she remembered Tsukune watching during the trial.

That time when he left and it was the next morning with Gin.

What was it again? Oh yeah...Her Inner self and Outer self were discussing having Gin take Tsukune's place subconsciously, seeing if he could pull the rosario off of her like Tsukune had so many times.

**_Why did you ask him to do that?_**

_Tsukune could do it the first time I met him. I am curious if it has anything to do with love or with just wanting to protect me._

**_Gin doesn't love us._**

_Yes he does, but not in the same way._

**_Lust and love are different._**

_But he does have a little for us. I have no doubt._

How could she have considered that paltry bit of emotion Gin may have felt that didn't even go past that thing between his legs into his heart? What was that speck of insignificant affection he had for compared to what Tsukune had done for her? And he thought that! She could see it in his eyes when he looked at her that last time when she wanted to let him know how she felt for him, because she knew...knew, knew, knew those were their last moments! Moka spouted unendingly how much she loved him and how sorry she was, but he didn't tell her he loved her or that he forgave her. He didn't try to comfort her or ease her worry that his last moments were as much of her as her's were of him. Instead, all he did was look at her...

...look at her...

...and he knew.

He knew...

He ...knew...

Tsukune...knew...

Slender pale fingers touched her belly...

A scream, a wail...a cry...

_She_ knew.

The sound of waves were getting closer and the scent of the ocean was appealingly as was the idea of...of...

"I could really use a bath right about now...


	3. Ch 3 Mistakes Answered

Take What Is Yours

Ch 3 Mistakes Answered

"I didn't want this for her." Akasha watched with a dejected sigh as her daughter stumbled about in misery.

Issa's dark eyes had not left his once most beloved daughter either, seeing her trip over her own feet, smelling her tears and his son's blood saturate her like some kind of sinful mark. "I didn't want this for any of my children, Akasha," He turned from one pink haired beauty to the next, "But she has always had a mind of her own and I encouraged her to express it." There was a momentary fondness that was laced with mild regret. "She was a lot like you."

Akasha wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"She had all the freedom in the world and made her own choices. It is her own fault she didn't accept the lessons I'd taught her. Now my son has had to pay the price. I fully intend to avenge him, but right now is not the time."

Akasha didn't have to see the smoldering wrath hidden behind his stoic brow to know how truly upset he was.

Despite his loathing of humans, Tsukune had obviously left his mark.

"There was a time," Akasha began, remembering Tsukune's eyes turning dark and the presence that screamed in her bones to be recognized, "When I thought I felt something familiar in him."

"Like what?" Issa asked curiously.

"Like...when I was fighting. The bloodline Shinso."

Issa turned to look back at the courthouse as if ready to assault it. "Wouldn't we have heard something by now if he had it?"

Pondering, Akasha only shook her head. "Yes, we would have. We would have noticed instantly, but nothing happened. I sensed no life in him and we were there for at least ten minutes as Mikogami had us removed."

Sadly, Issa closed his eyes to give a moment to Tsukune. "My son is dead then."

Akasha agreed wordlessly.

"Moka is not my problem anymore." Issa decided to change the mood with one of severing any and all ties to his once mate and daughter cleanly and efficiently. "I wish you both your heart's desire. Good bye."

Bowing low, he turned away to walk past his two daughters staring at the stumbling figure of Moka getting closer and closer to the cliff's edge.

"Shouldn't we help her, daddy?" Kahlua's gloved fingers were at her lips, her feet ready to dash and save her imotou.

Ria wasn't looking at Moka at all.

Her dark eyes were off into the distance somewhere, some future years or decades ahead. There was accusation in that glare of hers, but nothing that had to do with the immediate.

Lord Akashiya was sure the plans she had for Tsukune were now just a memory and all of her musings and schemes were at an end. Even seeing her sister's complete fall from grace was hardly satisfying.

It was Tsukune.

She had wanted more from him than to just be the tool to hurt her third sister. He was supposed to join her in taking up the reigns of vampire society! Bring about the fall of Moka's pride through attrition, one delicious sliver at a time.

Tsukune's death was unexpected and she felt something...

Her hand went to her breast.

...and she hadn't expected it to be so deep.

While she was nowhere as childish or foolishly attached to him as either Moka was, she wasn't going to deny that pang, right behind her breast, that wouldn't go away.

Was it Love?

No, her love was for her father alone.

Fondness?

Who knew?

It was there and for every second she realized Tsukune was never going to be seen again, it kept getting bigger. Try as she might, nothing distracted her from her unwanted focus as she tried to think of other tangents she had in mind beside him.

It failed.

Luckily, her father already had plans to occupy her normally astute mind.

"Ria," Lord Akashiya called out to her.

"Yes, My Lord?"

"We must get our personal belonging out of the Castle. We are being evicted."

It took Ria a few seconds to completely grasp her father's words, however when the comprehension sank in she gave a single curt nod. It was outrageous but it was to be done by his word. She was actually glad for the anger she felt, because it gave her something else to focus on.

At this announcement, Akasha's attention was pulled from the trance like stumbling of her daughter and refocused on her one time mate.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Why indeed, Mother Akasha," Issa pulled at the gloves on his hands, hiding one hand at the small of his back in an elegant gesture. "There are rules to our kind. Traditions that have been in place since long before you or I ever came to be."

Facing her without an ounce of remorse or loss, he says as casually as could be.

"The castle is yours. My daughters and I have no place there any longer. Since you made it clear Moka is not of my blood or clan anymore, there is no need to hide the truth."

Akasha's feathery brow pinched at the idea of what other repercussions would be coming towards her daughter.

"Also, since I am no longer your mate, I will eventually seek out your replacement. That would be only proper."

The Dark Hades Lord's small fists clenched at his remark. "Are you so eager to replace me Issa?"

At the hitched tone of her voice, Issa looked at her steadily. "No more then you were ready to replace me, but that doesn't matter now, does it?"

His words hit their mark, so he decided to bare it all to her without restraint, even going so far as to open his own wounds at his loss of her.

"I loved you above all others, Akasha. Perhaps you no longer believe that since I refused to change for your own ideals, but that is fine. If anything, it is probably best that you also found someone else to keep your heart and your mind warm during your eternity like I plan to, but it was always so. No matter how many other women I took to bed, you were always first in my heart. I loved you and love you still, but not even for you would I change who I am." He glanced over to where Moka was stumbling about. "I loved you both without equal."

In the not so far distance, Ria heard everything. Deciding that his affection for Moka has come to a crashing halt, it was now up to her to remain steadfast in her duties to be there for him.

He looked back to Akasha, his face stern and proud. "Done is done Akasha. Unlike you, I accept the reality for what it is and will _not _pine and weep for what was or might have been."

Issa didn't need his keen vampire sight to see her quivering in barely restraint rage. "I fought to protect this dimension."

It didn't keep him from voicing what he has wanted to say for a long time either.

"You ran away like a scared child," He scoffed at her, the remaining affection and endearment lost with his words. "When you learned of some of the unpleasant results of what has happened to your little girl, you blamed me or Ria rather than your own deliberate absence." He purposely shook his head as he watched her ire rise. "That is not what a leader does Akasha. You will have to make choices and stand by them, even when they are unpleasant."

"I know that," she said with a frown, biting off her words.

"Do you?" He asked quietly, offering a bit of sympathy at her own ignorance. "You seem barely capable of dealing with Moka and I. How will you handle all the responsibilities of a Hades Lord? Do you imagine all the other monsters of the various hidden worlds will be gentle with you because you want everyone to be happy? Are you even a vampire any more or have you become nothing but the soft hearted maiden you appear to be now?"

"I think you're forgetting who defeated Alucard," she growled slightly, her fingers twitching with the memorable battle that was never once brought to human notice.

The war was epic.

"I forget nothing Mother Akasha." He answered with reverence to her prowess, "I, better than any man or creature, acknowledge your great youkai and fighting techniques, but it is one thing to battle a mindless beast that seeks to destroy the world and quite another to enforce your will on those beneath you."

While he let that sink in, Issa gestured towards Moka's mindless fumblings towards the steep cliff's edge.

"What will you do the first time some innocent elven maiden reveals herself to a group of human children? Will you do what is needed and have them put to death? Will you deal with executives who are stealing from Fairy Tale even though they have wives and babies at home? Will you condemn without mercy those who break the laws and watch them burn? All of that doesn't require heart, Akasha."

He clenched his fist in front of her face with meaning.

"It requires a _stomach. _To be a Hades Lord requires more than just raw power Akasha, it requires **will**."

When she averted her eyes at his point, he continued his lecture without any of his once affection for her. "I do not deny you have the power to rule, but the will? That I am not so sure of."

"I will do whatever I have to," Akasha said began, but he cut her off before she could say more.

"Will you?" He nodded to Moka off in the distance, giving a clear view of her daughter's ramblings. "There is your very first test. You know what you must do with Moka, don't you? Your responsibility not only as her mother but as the Dark Lord of your realm and Queen of the vampires is clear."

The very manuscript of her title made her stomach turn.

Akasha blanched uncomfortably. "Those laws are barbaric."

Issa smiled at her coldly. "A human might think so."

"I am as much a vampire as you are Issa!"

Was her heated retort.

"Then behave as one."

Was his.

"Pardon me?" A timid voice announced itself, breaking the two vampires mutual glares. The nurse that had participated with Moka's 'tests' approached Akasha with a folded piece of paper in her hand. "I have the results. As you requested, they will be kept confidential."

_Confidential from all except Mikogami to be sure. _Akasha thought angrily.

"Thank you." She took the paper from the nurse who swiftly retreated. Akasha scanned the form, taking glimpses here and there till something popped out at her in its crisp unbiased way, answering not only the fate of herself, but that of her daughter who had instigated this whole process with her thoughtless actions.

"Oh no," she murmured softly, closing her eyes and crumpling the paper while looking over at her daughter just coming into her line of sight.

Her once mate concluded everything with just a few well choice words.

"Moka's disgrace is complete."

Turning his back on his once most beloved daughter and his mate, he had nothing left to say except, "Goodbye Akasha."

Mother Akasha wouldn't allow that to be the end of what was already an enormously crushing blow to her and her only daughter.

"Issa wait!" A sudden thought had occurred to her. "What if I give it back to you?"

"Pardon?" He asked with amused curiosity.

"I haven't announced anything yet." Licking her lips, she gestured to her side vaguely. "What if I gave it all back to you? Fairy Tale, the lands, the money, and the title of Hades Lord. I will even remain as your mate if you will help her cover this."

"Very generous of you," he announced suspiciously, waiting for her to announce her terms. "What would be the price for such philanthropy?"

"Don't abandon Moka," She pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her, entwining her fingers, "She needs you and she needs her sisters! Now more than ever. I will help her, but she's going to need more then me. Please, take back your words, be her father again and I will give you back what I have taken from you."

He was startled and stared at her for a moment waiting to see if there was more.

When he saw she was finished with her request, he tilted his head back and roared with laughter.

"I am not joking Issa!" Akasha screamed at him, causing Ria and Kahlua to take up defensive positions. "I am completely serious!"

After he caught his breath, Issa's mirth turned viciously sour.

"I know that Akasha, that is what makes it so funny. Have I become a child in your eyes? If I displease you, you take my toys away?"

Now he turned his shoulder away from, dismissing her. "When you want me to behave you offer to give them back again? Is that what the title of Hades Lord, Fairy Tale, and the rest of it means to you?"

"Issa…" She couldn't believe he had acutely described what she was trying to do.

And fail horribly at it.

"No," he answered sharply with a firm finality. "Moka has disgraced herself forever and _must_ be cast out. She is no blood of mine and I will **_not _**sacrifice my honor or the honor of my clan. Whatever the humans might think some things are more precious than any amount of money, title, or lands. I _am_ an elder vampire and a warrior; I will find my own place." He looked closely at Akasha, leaning in purposely to confirm his answer is absolute. "You can do with her as you please now that you've come back, but if you are seen aiding her you will lose the respect of _all_ our kind as well as that who fear us."

Seeing that there was more to be mentioned, he leaned back and fixed his suit, "Well... you will lose MORE of their respect."

"She was your most precious daughter and now needs our help!" Akasha said pleading.

"Don't you mean she is _your_ daughter," he corrected her, sneering. "Look at you! You are a Hades Lord and yet here you are _begging_!" He shook his head, gesturing at her interlaced fingers. "You are not fit to be Queen of the vampires, not if you are serious about replacing me with a seraph. At least have the decency to seek out another one of our kind! No self-respecting vampire would follow you."

Content that his daughters were nodding to his words and felt as he had, he finished his thoughts with a concluding, "Do as you will and accept the consequences."

Issa weighed her thoughts as they clearly expressed themselves openly.

Her reflection of his truths brought another thought for her to consider. "When our people learn you mean to take a seraph as a mate they will not follow you. You may remain as a Hades Lord but the vampires will not acknowledge you as Queen. I think you should know I intend to lay claim to the title of King to our kind. Even without lands or wealth, I remain an elder vampire of great strength and renown. Once the other families find out I am seeking a sponsor and of Moka's disgusting acts, they will only be howling for justice and only too eager to support me if I chose to accept them as my first court appointed officials."

One lone tear fell from Akasha's eyes. So many things were over now and this was just one of them. She had lost any and all connections to her once beloved. Nothing kept them together by blood, by word, or by affection.

"I will fight for the position of King, even if I must fight you."

His words brought life back to her voice.

"If you fight me you will lose," she told him, unable to comprehend he could be this cruel to her.

She and Moka both needed him, and he chose to do this to them? Now?

"Most likely." He spoke with a bit of eagerness.

He liked the idea of losing, as if to prove there were parts of him that he could improve upon.

"Some fights are too important to try and avoid. Unlike you, Mother Akasha, I have the will to fight for what I want." He gave her a deep bow.

"And so you would abandon the ones you claim to love for the sake of your pride?" She made no effort to hide her bitterness, her voice cracking.

He halted and sent her a glance over his shoulder. "I am a vampire," he answered simply. "And as to pride, look to yourself and to your daughter. I loved you, you loved me, and Moka loved Tsukune and yet we all chose to act out of pride one way or another. What good did it do any of us? Pride, it would seem, is more powerful than love."

Taking his leave with his cape fluttering behind him, Issa strode away with Kahlua and Ria falling in behind him.

Akasha watched him go in silence and wondered, yet again, at the choices she had made.

* * *

"Unclean," Moka murmured as she began to near the cliff's edge, the white frothy spray enticing her to end everything. With each crashing wave, with the diamond like glitter reflecting the moon's light, she felt something down there would make her whole, purify her. If she fell down into it, would the rolling waves lullaby her sins, those poisonous memories and her past to dissolve away with her flesh?

She had loved him so much.

No, love him. He was still alive in her heart. He would continue to remain so even after he's gone.

Moka wanted to laugh at how silly she was being now.

The crashing spray reached her ears again, teasing her to take more steps, end everything, become free of the pain in her heart.

It was so close, the end...

Rocks fell off the cliff, bouncing off the jagged outcroppings.

Just a shift in her weight...

Her hair was already pulling her over.

And it would be a beautiful flight into oblivion.

Now that Tsukune was gone, what did any of the things in this world matter?

"You need to be careful," her mother's voice called gently, breaking her out of her reverie. "You're getting near the edge."

"Would it matter if I fell in?" She asked dazedly, her breath quickening as the more she thought about it the more appealing it became.

"It would matter to me," Akasha said quietly, then lifting the piece of paper of Moka's results in her hand towards her daughter like a death sentence. "It would also matter to the unborn child you carry inside of you."

"Wha… what?" The news snapped her out of her stupor, jumping away from the cliff's edge and giving her full attention towards her mother.

"You're pregnant Moka." Akasha took those last few steps towards her daughter, handing her the results. "Congratulations, you're going to have a baby."

If Moka thought the idea of jumping off of the cliff was appealing before, it seemed damn right necessary now.

"But… but I can't! It's not Tsukune's! He's the one I was supposed to have a child with!"

Turning on her heel, Akasha grabbed her daughter around her shoulders and held her close, embracing her from behind with a strength to stop her, yet gentle enough to enfold her with motherly affection.

Even if she was going to lecture her still pouring salt in an already gashing wound.

"Then maybe what was supposed to be should have stopped when you realized it was getting out of hand." Even though she was trying to be comforting, her voice was purposely harsh. Akasha couldn't help it though. Her daughter had gotten a loving man who was _faithful _to her and had betrayed him. Though she loved Moka dearly there were limits even to her understanding.

Moka flinched, her hands gripping her belly.

He knew...

He knew, just as he looked at her.

"He said...I smelled different."

"Who did?"

"Tsukune, before he was ripped apart in my arms!" Moka screamed into the night. "He knew, didn't he? Right before he died! He knew I was pregnant with Gin's child, didn't he?"

Akasha decided it would do no good to keep this truth from her.

"If that is what he said, then you are probably right."

Looking over at the end of the cliff's edge, the tears that she thought were dry came back with a vengeance.

"I wanted to see him in heaven," She spoke so softly, thinking out loud her own thoughts that were ready to push her into the endless sea, "and see if he would accept me there. I wanted to apologize to him for all eternity... there with him. I...I miss him so much."

As much as Akasha wanted to absorb her daughter's pain, she couldn't stop what she knew was coming.

Moka's hands touched her belly again, "This… this is…"

"What you wanted?" Akasha finished for her.

"NO!" Moka wailed, ripping at her face and her hair. "I **_never_** wanted any of this! I **_loved_** Tsukune! He was my one true love, the only man I will _ever _love like that. The only one who would have ever really understand me or have my complete trust. I _never_ wanted to hurt him like this! I never wanted him to die! I just… I just wanted him to agree with me back then. I just wanted him to understand how scared I was that things were going to repeat themselves!"

Akasha gripped Moka by her wrists.

"Maybe if you had been honest with him from the start it would have prevented everything."

Breaking down to her knees, Moka wept...

...and wept...and wept...

"Why weren't you Moka?" Akasha held her daughter, but asked with just a whisper in her ear. "Wouldn't telling him the whole truth have been better than the alternative you came up with?"

"I don't know any more," she said sounding weary, hiccuping through huge lump in her throat. "It was all supposed to be a bluff; he was supposed to agree with me. He was supposed to save me from this."

"That's the thing about people Moka, even the people we love." Akasha straightened out the messy locks of her daughter's face. "They have minds and wills of their own. They don't always act the way we want them too."

Moka looked at her like a lost child needing guidance since she had already lost her own way. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"You have an innocent child growing inside you. You should try and take care of it."

"How?" Moka really did sound lost, almost afraid of what her mother was going to suggest. "I've never raised a child before except when I spent time with Kokoa."

Exhaling, Akasha asked what had not been asked yet. "Are you sure it's Gin's? It could be Tsukune's if you two were intimate before..."

"It's not," Moka confirmed with monumental regret. "We didn't have sex almost a month before all this happened. I checked often to be sure. If I'm pregnant, then...then..."

She left what was already known linger in the air.

"You can have an abortion," Akasha voice through clenched teeth, clearly not liking that line of thought.

Moka's mouth moved, just like her mind going every direction it could with that idea. By not having Gin's child, she wouldn't be bound to him by flesh and after some time she could have her sins of that night gone in time.

But to have his child...

It would be a living, breathing, constant reminder of the stupidest thing she ever did that not only broke up her family, killed her Tsukune and love, broke her friends trust, but also keep her linked to the very man she had been successfully avoiding all of high school and after wards till she purposely took him to her home, her bed, and into her body.

Those realities made her start to say yes, but one other thing came to her mind.

"Tsukune..."

"Yes?" Akasha asked, encouragingly.

"He died," Moka tried to catch her breath, "He died to protect us and it was all my fault. I...I can't run anymore."

Holding herself around her waist, she murmured to the living entity in her.

Gin's baby.

"I've already failed enough people. I...I need to do what is right for you, even if I've already failed by my actions killing the man who was supposed to be your father."

Akasha waited for her daughter to stop speaking, but answered something that was another knife in her reality. "But your child's father is alive, Moka."

That reality brought no comfort to her.

"You should at least speak to him and let Gin know he is going to have a child."

Moka closed her eyes, shaking her head with grief. "I can't. I told him all I wanted was for him to give me a baby and that he wouldn't have any responsibilities beyond that. I don't love Gin and I know he doesn't want to be a father."

_I can believe that. _Akasha thought incredulously. The man who had been shown in Moka's memories seemed much too self-absorbed and childish to make a decent husband or father. Never the less…

"He at least needs to know. Maybe he will surprise you." Akasha offered hopefully.

"I didn't want to have a baby with anyone but Tsukune," she heart brokenly wailed.

"Tsukune is gone, Moka," Akasha comfortingly murmured into her daughter's sleeve, turning her away from the looming edge of the cliffs. "That is no longer a choice you have. We have both made mistakes, my daughter, now it falls on both of us to live with them. As woman, you have to live through yours as your actions have caused repercussions you can no longer deny."

Moka braved to ask her mother desperately. "Will you help me mother? Father is gone but...but you're here, right? You're going to stay with me and help me, right?"

Issa's lecture came back to the forefront of her mind like a slap in the face.

Ashamed, she shook her head with how much she was going to hate her position as Hades Lord and Queen of Vampires. "I can't."

"Mommy?" Moka's small voice became lost...

...lost...

...lost...

"I have no choice but to disown you as your father did."

"Why?" Moka gasped in betrayal.

Now she was absolutely alone.

"When this becomes known, and it will," Akasha could feel Moka start to pull away from her, but she kept her daughter rooted to her side, "the vampires will turn completely against me unless I honor our laws and ways. As Hades Lord I need to at the very least have our people tolerate me, having them actually support me is likely too much to even hope for. If they become openly hostile they may try to hurt you or your friend, including Tsukune's still living family."

"I...I..." Moka could come up with a proper answer to her mother's logic.

Akasha continued on.

"Moka, there are hundreds of races and millions of monsters all with their own ideas and beliefs. The _only _thing that unifies them is the authority of the three Hades Lords. Maintaining the fragile peace we have, not only with the humans but with each other, requires certain sacrifices on my part. There are only so many taboos I can break before I lose my authority. After word comes to surface of my break up with your father and my intention to be mated to Bardiel, it's only a matter of time when word comes of your half breed child being born from you."

"Is he more important then me?" Moka asked in mounting betrayal.

"NO," Akasha gave her daughter a shake, "but when word comes out that you are pregnant with a werewolf's child, you're going to need protection. Issa has already made it known that he is going to spread the news to all of the elite vampire families, as per his duty, as soon as he gets back."

"He...he is?"

It would seem even the dust that is her soul could be ground into smaller granules.

Akasha just nodded.

"So you can see, for you and your child's benefit, I have to maintain my position to protect both of you in the end."

"I see," Moka voiced with a brokenly, her heart breaking again...and again...

It was never ending, it seemed.

"You abandon me for all these years and you come back just to abandon me again." Moka's jade green eyes shut as she turned on her heel, "Fine. Good bye, Mother."

Moka was already pushing herself away, when Akasha grasped her painfully around her shoulders.

"Please, please endure this for now, my daughter. I know what it looks like-"

Moka's response was hallow and empty.

"It looks like you're going to be mated to someone else and you're going to let me fend for myself after the biggest mistake of my life has not only cost me my husband, but my friends, my womb I was supposed to bear Tsukune's children to, my father, sisters, my home and world. Just let me go, Mother, I am getting what's coming to me."

Smoothing Moka's hair with her fingers, Akasha could only shake her head. "Have faith in me, please. Right now, for your safety and that of your child, this is necessary."

Her small dainty shoulder's shrugged.

What else could she do?

"Come," Akasha lured Moka towards the center of a clearing. "When we get back to the castle, lets draw you a bath and change you into some clean clothes. For just a little bit longer let's just be mother and daughter to our hearts content."

Nodding Moka leaned bodily into her mother's embrace. The spidery words of magic spoke into the air, calling upon the weave to do its master's bidding. With swollen red rimmed jade green eyes, Moka glanced one last time towards the courthouse where Tsukune's broken and shredded body lay in different masses of pulp and meat, she could only think of one thing as the environment around her began to shift, taking her back to the dimension her most beloved called home once.

"What am I going to tell his mom? She's going to want to know how her son is."

Right as the spell took root and the portal opened, Akasha answered for her. "Tell her after the fight between the two of you, you were unable to contact him and he is just gone."

"She deserves to know the truth."

"Then you want to tell her that Tsukune was ripped apart by a ghostly entity in a trial for crossing dimensions in the presence of witches, kitsunes, vampires, and succubi?"

Moka's buried herself deeper into her mother's scent. "Wouldn't you want to know the truth if I was killed like that?"

Turning Moka's chin so that she could look into Akasha's own green eyes, she said, "No, Moka, I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because I would bring down heaven and hell to whomever would hurt my baby. Even the innocent would perish and it wouldn't be their fault."

Thought it brought Moka some comfort, it didn't answer her question.

"She has the right to have closure."

"She does, baby, but not right now. Not till we can do something that will protect other monsters out there"

"It just isn't fair," Moka sniffled as she became consumed by the light.

"No, it isn't."

The light enveloped them as they disappeared into nothingness...


	4. Ch 4 The Other Side Of 'Supposed to Be'

Take What Is Yours Ch 4

The Other Side Of 'Supposed to Be.'

Mikogami watched as Kuyou was handing out orders to the remainder of his personal guard, taking in everything that had occurred within the last half hour to the present demanding the kitsune's personal direction. He had got a report that Yukari's parents were causing havoc inside the medical ward and demanded an audience with him. Then there was the succubi sisters howling and in an uproar about being tricked and the compensation their work was to suppose to bring did the exact opposite.

Had it not been for his personal guard been given explicit instructions to anticipate their rebellion things would have gone horribly wrong. An Arch Succubus and her almost equally talented imotou were a handful without them being enraged.

Needless to say that many of the male congregated within listening range were holding onto their genitalia carefully after the vocal threats of both women's vehement details of what they would do if they were given a chance to see them down a dark alley in the human world.

He had expected as much.

The vampire family's barrier had been dropped to leave at his conclusion to his verdict, with Moka' stumbling stupor and cries leaving the makeshift courtroom oddly quiet except for the shuffles of feet and muted voices in the background.

Turning to his left, Toujou Ruby had yet to get on her feet. Her hair and dress were splayed out on the floor where she had crawled to Tsukune's severed head and touched his cheek with her fingertips, murmuring words unknown to him.

The room reeked of blood.

Looking away, he folded his hands behind his back and considered his next steps in the process. Everything was going beyond his expectations.

"Ruby," He called out to her.

She didn't answer.

Seeming paralyzed with grief, he saw her still playing with Tsukune's cheeks, cooing words of comfort and regret. The Exorcists was sure that there was mental trauma being experienced but it couldn't be helped.

"I'm leaving."

The elder witch said nothing, just continued to stare off into the oblivion, pulling Tsukune's head to her breast and holding it close.

"I am expecting company so it would do well for you to get this cleaned up and see they are greeted properly tomorrow."

Now she moved.

Two dark violet eyes pinched to slivers at him, murmured words of hated violence promised behind them.

The Exorcist smiled, pleased.

He had wanted that.

"Don't be late."

He turned and walked out of the court room as did his personal guard.

Alone with Tsukune's remains, Ruby continued to touch him and mumble her apologies to the boy who saved her and she, regretfully, could not do the same for him.

* * *

**In Las Vegas**

As Aghea and Shade got off the bus in front of Devil's Little Angels, Busdriver-san grinned at them with his bright glowing eyes.

"Remember, if you say anything to Kurumu or anyone else the consequences will not only be sought out on the two of you, but on her as well, as per Mikogami's orders. Understand?"

Shade was holding a distraught Aghea to her shoulder, growling under her breath as Kurumu's mother wept quietly into her neck.

"Go to fucking hell." Shade barked at him.

"I'll take that as a yes," Busdriver-san bit down on the end of his stogie and closed the door between them.

In a minute he was gone.

"What do I tell my baby?" Aghea steadied herself on her feet as she leaned heavily on her sister.

The music to Shade's club was loud and upbeat, customers were lined out the door and it was obvious Kurumu was on stage doing a number appreciated by the crowd.

"What can we tell her? Just that we dropped off Tsukune and him and his family are working on the issues at hand." Shade grouched under her breath, "At least, that's what the Headmaster directed us to say."

"But her Destined One is dead!" Aghea screamed at her Nee-sama, but Shade quickly shushed her, pulling her away from the crowd up front. "We were told to get into her head and that if we were successful in making Tsukune angry and sorrowful, get him to remember his love for Moka and then to hate her again Kurumu would be allowed back into Japan for probation! Mikogami never said anything about killing him!"

Shade's feelings were in the same boat as her little sisters. This went completely against the direction it was supposed to.

While there was no doubt as to how Kurumu would feel if she found out, Aghea was dealing with it as only a woman who has lost her own Destined One before was now by reliving some nightmarish flashbacks.

It was all Shade could do to try and distract her so she could get her own feelings in line.

"Listen to me, we have to wait till things have cooled down before anything is done. We can't have you losing your control like you almost did last time. You remember, right?"

Aghea could only nod mutely, knowing that it took her years after wards to properly morn her Destined One when he died in her arms. Had it not been for Kurumu, she would certainly have done whatever was needed to join him.

"Kurumu thinks it's going to be a while till he comes back to her. Let's see what Mikogami has planned, because he can't just let this lie. If anything, if we don't have an answer soon I'm sure Lord Akashiya has something in mind for retribution. His honor and pride won't allow this to go unpunished to his family. Moka be damned, he spoke well of Tsukune."

Aghea tried to breath but her whole body was shaking. "How am I going to tell her? What am I going to do when she finds out, Nee-san?"

Shade followed where her sister's eyes were focusing…and then unfocusing.

This wasn't good.

"What am I going to say when she finds out that I helped kill her Destined One?" Aghea murmured softly, her body going limp.

"Shit!" Shade fumbled with Aghea and falling on their generous asses in the process.

Heels were not the proper foot apparel for the unsteady.

Shade could see her precious sister regressing back to an old habit she hadn't seen since Kurumu was just an infant and it scared the hell out of her. The elder sister untwisted herself from her imotou and waved down a yellow cab after getting awkwardly back on her feet while trying to keep some kind of mediocre form of modesty with her short skirt. Pushing Aghea towards the vehicle that answered her summons, she hooked the blue haired woman on her shoulder and shoved as haphazardly as they could into the door with Aghea being more dead weight then a living, breathing being.

"Where to?" the driver asked groggily.

"The west cemetery graveyard."

The request made the man pause, especially when he saw their dress and Aghea's mumblings.

"You girls aren't going to do anything weird while I'm in the car, are you?"

Shade's hair halo'd around her head with how quick she snapped it at the driver.

"Just shut up and drive!" Shade snarled at the cabbie who she was sure had pissed himself. Pulling Aghea's head onto her lap, feeling her young sister sadly take on the pain that she knew her niece would also endure if she found out, Shade hoped she was doing the right thing.

_It had helped her way back then so why shouldn't it work now?_ She asked herself.

As the vehicle's tires barked in acceleration, one strong reality kept Shade's eyes looking out the window as street lamps and billboards passed by.

_How long was it going to be till Kurumu found out?_

Shade honestly didn't know.

* * *

It was dark in the courtroom, especially after everyone had left and no one was there to hear her hiccups and sniffles.

"I'm sorry, Tsukune. I swear this wasn't supposed to happen."

A part of her wanted to laugh.

She was sure if Tsukune was awake, he would have made a comment about her sounding like Moka. Thinking about it, was this similar to what Moka had intended in the beginning? As much as she positively hated the woman right now, she couldn't deny that there was a love there that her and Tsukune saw in each other that came once in a lifetime.

"Just like her mistake." Ruby murmured to her own thoughts, realizing that she wished Moka and Tsukune had come to her before all this had happened. Even though Ruby and the man who lay in pieces by her side had shared intimate moments that bordered infidelity, it wasn't worth this.

His skin was so cold, she thought, feeling no revulsion from his death or current state. The scent of everything that was 'him' from the inside out smothered her and she didn't care.

For another moment, she thought of Moka and what had driven her so deep into a corner by fear that she would go this far to do what she had. Ruby, while still adamant about Moka doing the worst possible thing, wondered if in some weird twisted way had been as sure as Ruby had when she felt that by doing a little bit of wrong she was protecting him in the long run.

What a fool she had been to believe in her master.

The runes that had been flowing all over the courtroom dimmed, bringing the darkness and shadows into a stillness that gave her peace.

All she could hear was her breathing and the subtle movements of her clothes as she shifted herself close to him.

What was left of him.

"Good night, Tsukune, my friend."

Why had she said that?

Oh yeah, because as the nights they spent in her bed, holding each other for comfort and their own special affection, they would do gentle things to let the other know there was more then platonic feelings simmering behind their kind words and lingering glances.

What were they? She didn't know, but it didn't matter now.

He was nothing more then pieces and flesh and her chance to express what she had wanted were gone. Him and her feelings she had wanted to express were now nothing more then biological and emotional litter.

Pulling the bowling ball sized head under her neck, she thought back to those times when she watched him sleep, those lines between his brows always pinched in some memory that was pleasant and painful, worrisome or pleasurable.

His face always expressed the most honest emotions.

Even in his death, betrayal was as clear as day.

What had been Moka's last words before Mikogami's tools tore him into flying parts like projectiles meant to leave their splatterings dotting the floor and furniture like grafitti?

Ruby wasn't sure, but it couldn't have been good.

Even as she heard Moka leave with her family, her guilt had been monumental.

"Don't look like that, Tsukune," Ruby pushed his eye lids down and played at his eyebrows, hoping to get something that would resemble his own smile for her.

The rubbery skin moved a little, but it wasn't what she wanted.

He looked…sleepy?

It was an improvement.

Chuckling, she figured it was as appropriate as she could make it.

By her Mistress's breath she was weary.

Tired…

So very, very tired…

"I guess you won't be playing with my hair tonight, hmm?"

Ruby shifted her head a little, tugging on his brown locks of hair as he used to play with hers.

"Did you used to do that with Moka, Tsukune? I bet she loved it. I know I did when you lay next to me."

Blushing, she turned away from him shyly.

"It tickled a little, but I didn't mind."

Tired…just very tired.

"Wouldn't that be an interesting trick if all of this was a nightmare and none of it was actually happening, my friend?" Ruby asked him into the silent night, feeling the runes about her finally lose all of their power and the lack of their mana and youkai gone bring an emptiness in her that made her feel that much more alone.

"If that was, then you wouldn't be here now and you'd be back with Moka, huh?"

She chuckled a little, biting at her nails with how much she would have missed out with him if he hadn't sought her out.

"As much as I cherished our time, Tsukune, I never wanted this for you. I'd give it all back and endure your pain in heart, body, and soul if I could have prevented this."

_Rustle._

Ruby blinked.

Even thought it was dark in the courtroom and the lights were off, she was almost sure she felt something shift around her.

Listening so hard and holding her breath, she waited to see if whatever it was would come back.

It didn't.

Shaking her head and mumbling about how her imagination was getting the best of her, she decided she was more tired then she realized. Lowering her lips to Tsukune cold and clammy forehead, she murmured, "In all fairy tales a kiss would awake the sleeping beauty or heal the most dreadful curses. Please, be my Master, Tsukune and wake for me."

Nothing happened.

Shaking her head and chuckling at how foolish she was, she sighed and let herself drift off into sleep.

* * *

From behind Ruby's slumbering form, 'it' crawled towards her, walking spider like in its movements while dragging its weighted burden behind itself in clumsy zigzag motions. Finding itself close to the elder witch, it lumbered close enough to reach out with one appendage…

A finger, actually.

…to coax Ruby's long raven locks by her bare neck.

Giggling in her sleep, Ruby mumbles softly, almost sighing, "Tsukune, that tickles."

To Ruby, it had been like the days back when he was with her. Whatever her thoughts or dreams had taken her, she was glad that even if she imagined it, she wasn't aware that the fingers she felt touching her hair were, in fact, a hand with an arm attached to it.

Tsukune's.


	5. Ch 5 Fixing What's Broken

Take What Is Yours Ch 5

Fixing What's Broken

There were a couple of things Mikogami had anticipated when he had first recruited Tsukune to become a part of his beloved student body. Those humans he granted admittance all shared certain traits; they had to be friendly, open minded, and, above all, forgiving. Tsukune had fit that bill…well, in most ways.

It had been a miracle he didn't run on the very first day.

The Headmaster was surprised, that of all things, Tsukune had a protective streak in him that bordered on the pathological. Despite his kind, gentle, and loving nature, he had a single mindedness that kept him always within the boundaries of imminent disaster and sudden death. Even though the boy was...well…a wimp in so many ways, he persevered. He not only preserved but somehow or other rescued a vampire, a succubus, a snow girl, and _two _witches. How an ordinary human could mange that was beyond even him.

Tsukune was definitely something special.

How Mikogami had lucked out on him being the prodigy he had hoped for with Hokuto Kaneshiro he would never know. When he had chosen Tsukune it had been by accident more than for his abilities, it was due more to his 'average' athletic abilities, charisma, etc…

Who would have known that was what he should have been seeking in the first place?

Tsukune had become a sealed version of one of the most elite monsters in history, claimed the support and love of some of the most dangerous creatures out there, and now rallied the support of some of the elite power houses in his and Akasha's dimension.

Like the parents who were in his office and ready to chew nails and do horrible things to voodoo dolls they held in tight fists that wore white robes were currently being threatened by a handful of needles.

As Headmaster, life was never boring.

"Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Sendo. I see you got the message my aide sent you." Mikogami calmly replied behind his desk.

Fujiko Sendo was already on her feet, voodoo doll in hand pointed at the headmaster's carefree face. "You release my daughter this minute! How dare you treat her like some kind of lab experiment! If you don't give her to us this INSTANT, I'm going to see that my husband and I tear this place around your –"

"At once, Mrs. Sendo," Mikogami gestured his hand casually, speaking softly. "Your daughter is yours to take home."

Mr. and Mrs. Sendo had not expected this sort of easy compliance, if anything they were ready for some terse arguments or outright refusals.

They only glanced at each other with obvious relief. "Ahh…fine then. Thank you."

Mikogami stood as they stood, but waited till they were out the door for him to say, "How will you deal with little Yukari when she turns?"

Mrs. Sendo was the first to answer that. "What do you mean 'turn'? She'll be fine-"

"Are you sure?" Mikogami came around his desk and folded his hands properly in front of him. "Out of all the vampire infusions recorded in our medical database, only a third survive with accelerate healing, the other third die, and a sixth become either ghouls or vampires. So, she has about a thirty three percent chance of simply healing normally, while it is sixty six percent likely she will face some rather dire consequence. So, were she to change to a ghoul or a vampire, which one are you most prepared for? I won't bring up the other possibility of course."

Both parents looked at the other as if to test the other's knowledge on such subjects.

"We haven't checked the medical staff records concerning-"

"Of course," Mikogami accepted their half answer with his interruption. "I was told that you removed the runes I had set on her to preserve the blood injected in her. Is that true?"

"Yes," Yukari's father answered angrily. "Is that why you kept her isolated as you did? You wanted a living, breathing Tupper wear container for precious vampire blood? Then to paralyze her because-"

"The blood given to her was being investigated for a particular blood trait, I won't deny that." Mikogami answered unafraid and to the point. "However, the other precautions were in place should she turn unfavorably into a ghoul or vampire. They can be rather aggressive you know. I'm afraid keeping her paralyzed was a necessary precaution for my medical staff. I trust you understand."

Mr. and Mrs. Sendo had the right set of mind to look guilty. "She didn't need her jaw wired."

"With the vampire blood in your daughter and my precautions, I figured I would take no expense to keep your daughter safe and properly cared for. She is a great person in my employ and has done nothing but increase the overall efficiency of the Academy. She is invaluable to me and I would like to keep her here, still, with your permission, of course."

Mr. and Mrs. Sendo considered it, but decided to say, "We will leave that up to her when she tells us more."

"That is fair," Mikogami walked around his desk and opened a file on his desk. "Just so you know, her attacker has left and gone back to her realm. Her punishment has been issued."

Mr. Sendo smoothed his hand over his mustache, frowning, "Her sentence?"

"She received none, directly. Her husband volunteered to accept the punishment in her place. Now, if you will excuse me."

"How can that be?" Yukari's mother snapped to her husband's side. "While that speaks highly of her husband, if she did this then-"

"I can't speak of it anymore, but do note that her attacker has left this dimension and is in the hands of her family."

"Yukari said it was Aono Moka. Is that true?"

Mikogami was silent, considering his next words carefully. "It is, however she was not the one I punished for all the transgressions that occurred here. Aono Tsukune was the one on trial, not her."

"Then what could you have possible done to penalize Moka enough for the crime committed against our daughter?" Mrs. Sendo asked heatedly.

"I had her husband executed in front of her and her family." Mikogami answered with a voice one might use to ask for directions.

The Sendos were quiet, unable to comprehend such extreme consequences.

"I'm going to assume that is sufficient? Trust me when I say, she was quite distraught and I am sure she will never forget what had transpired here. Ever."

The two witches held each other's hands, seeing as how Mikogami had killed a family member to the vampire elite society so calmly, so casually…it definitely made them rethink their less than stellar way of approaching things when they came into the Headmaster's office.

"We didn't want her husband's death for this," Mr. Sendo slipped his wand and voodoo doll into a pocket. "Moka loved her husband dearly…I…I can't comprehend that Aono Tsukune is…is…"

"Yes, well, that matter is confidential. So much so," Mikogami's fingers tapped at his chin, "discussing it might have dire consequences."

"What?"

"You see, Aono Tsukune was part of the Shuzen Clan, accepted by Lord Akashiya himself. He is seeking out retribution in some way, shape, or form. The question is how and when. _Anything _is possible, why I would not even rule out a direct attack here at my academy."

"Then, what are your defenses? What are you going to do with the students of this school? The faculty! Everyone! I see you have guards, but they aren't nearly enough."

"You're right." Mikogami sighed, looking away and then shrugging. "My aide has taken Aono-kun's death very hard and has not the will to really take on the capacity of my aide or tactician. I'm sure someone will come around with her brilliance to pick up the responsibility of defense for our realm."

Mikogami shifted a stack of folds off to the side, "If there is nothing else, I wish you well."

Mr. and Mrs. Sendo couldn't help but notice all of the files on his desk, many of them stating different deficiencies to consider for tactical defense.

Husband and wife only had to take one look and knew what they had to do. "We're alumni here."

"I remember." Mikogami smiled as he turned a page. "You have done well since your tenure here."

"We can help." Mrs. Sendo offered. "Yukari is bright but she doesn't have our experience."

"Of course, we would need full use of your laboratory and no restrictions on experimentation."

Closing the file, Mikogami grinned toothily. "Oh? Is that all you would need?"

"There is more, of course, but that will take some time to…"

A knock on the door got everyone's attention. Kuyou peeked his head in.

"Master, you have a visitor."

"I see," Mikogami gestured for the two witches to follow his kitsune guard. "How about I allow you to take a look at what we have at our laboratory that is being neglected right now, hmm? Take some time to mull everything over. I'm sure Yukari would enjoy having her parents there to assist her with what has been left behind by her sempai."

Both witches agreed.

"Kuyou."

"Yes, Master?"

"Take them to Ruby's lab and give them free access to the data needed for the realm's defense at their request."

"All data, Master?" Kuyou asked cautiously.

Mikogami chuckled as he turned away from them. "Just do as you're told, Kuyou. I have a visitor to greet and plans that need to be confirmed."

The blond guard simply nodded. "As you wish, Master."

* * *

Ruby would have liked to think she was taking Tsukune's death better than she had her Master's, but that brought no comfort to her.

Her dreams were hazy and the nightmares that were supposed to follow the loss of a loved one, were anything but. No, they were quite the opposite, in fact. Oh, how she loved her own mind right now, thinking of those simple times when he had spent adoring and loving Moka when they were right in front of her, cherishing each other and caressing each other so intimately.

She had been jealous, but in a good way.

Toujou Ruby had thought the two were blessed to have found each other, sort of like how she had found Oyokata-sama, her Master after her parents died. She had been lonely and neglected, roaming the world in search of peace.

The world was no place for a child, especially one born of her magical talents. Under the guidance and caring of her Master, Ruby had become whole again and found a place to belong. While she was away in the orphanages directed by the city, she wasn't even a person, just a case number, a docket with a generic name given generic attention and less care.

She wasn't a child but a nameless product.

Her Master had seen her unique talents and her deep seeded desire to be loved and give love in return. To her Ruby _mattered_!

Oh how life was born again for her after that.

Yes, her Master was harsh and even cruel in her views of humans, but that didn't matter to Ruby. She belonged and was needed. Those days after her Master's passing was beyond tough. So much so that Ruby created an alter ego to fulfill her Master's wishes and call down destruction on those who would tear apart the land that had once been a sanctuary for witches like both of them.

How DARE they feel like they could upturn the sacred land for something as blasphemous as a parking lot or a landfill!

Then her friends came along and she saw that not only was her little sister of the weave accepted, but she belonged! Yukari wasn't anyone's servant, but an equal…

…well, not exactly.

Being young, she was so protected the fledgling witch was treated as a child. While Ruby offered to be her sister of the art, she found that no matter how much she tried, she was lacking in the most fundamental ways.

She was just one person. What was one sister gained when she already had a full-fledged family? Despite the course she had planned to sever their bonds and even go as far as planning their deaths through an onslaught of plant demons, she was still unable to break their bonds.

Tables were turned and she, Toujou Ruby, was beaten.

Just as she was about to find peace and seek the light which had surely taken her Master, she was saved by the magics of the Headmaster and given a home with a family. A large one! They didn't sneer at her or subjugate her for the views she tried to offensive press on them, but they accepted her eagerly! (Well, mostly, a few of them did have issues with her love of bondage but that was a personal matter.)

Her! Toujou Ruby had a plethora of family and they loved her!

These blessings were beyond her comprehension, but she gladly accepted them. There wasn't a second spared, a moment unchecked, where the dark haired elder witch did not do something to try and assist her new precious family.

Now, she had failed.

One of the ones she loved was gone. The boy who she had seen blossoming into a great man was dead. His potential cut short and lost forever. And to her shame she had participated in his demise, no matter how indirectly. She never thought she would be so glad she was dying than at this moment. Her family was sure to be scattered to the winds when they found out that Aono Tsukune was torn asunder by the very person who had brought them together in some way, shape, or form.

There weren't words to describe how empty she felt because of that, the person she had served and worked so hard for had been the one to do this. She could only wonder what her dear friend would he have done if he were given the chance.

Make up time with his friends? Rebuild her home at Witch's Knoll? Make the world a better place for monsters and humans?

He really was a silly boy, but she had no doubt all that had been in his heart and he'd meant it.

That was why she loved him so.

Now, however, that feeling was gone. Not so much unrequited, but simply lost never to be found again. Her love was dead and in her arms.

Pieces of him, anyways.

Either way, she wondered what it would have been like for the both of them to enjoy their time rebuilding the mansion at Witch's Knoll. Would he grumble about the horrid mess left by all the vines and then the rebuilding of one structure to the next? Would he let her pick out furniture or even paint walls?

Would he mind having a special room just for the two of them where she could be his submissive servant and he the dominating master that was never satisfied?

Oh, that would be naughty!

Giggling in her sleep, Ruby played with her friend's hair just as he was playing with her's.

If he was alive now, she would wake him up with a kiss, tell her of her thoughts and see when they could get started. Yes, a nice, long, wet kiss that let him know she loved him and if he would be so generous as to kiss her back, she would tell him so. Even though she couldn't be sure, she knew that her dream was getting the best of her when she felt something crawl over her…

…maybe slithered?

Curious.

Either way, her dreams were getting the best of her. She wanted him back so badly…so, so badly. She could feel warmth growing in his cheeks, in his ears. For a second, she thought she could feel him breathe.

That's just silly. How does a head breathe when it doesn't have lungs?

Giggling again, she hummed at the thought that maybe she was going a bit mad, loose in the head, coo-coo. Well, it wouldn't be the first time would it? She could live with that. With as little time as she had, it wouldn't be so bad to think of what could have been and get lost in her mind.

What a pleasant way to go, she thought.

When a person was killed, do they watch over their precious people and see their thoughts? She didn't know, but if they did, she would hope Tsukune would be happy to know she couldn't wait to be with him and her Master again.

Were they getting along now?

She hoped so. It would mean the world to her if they did.

Maybe she could do a séance in their honor? That would be fun. All she would need is some of her friends, a summoning stone, and…

"Ru-"

The sound was hollow and lacking the proper annunciation, but there was no doubt…

"-by…"

…no doubt in her mind at all, that the head she was holding so closely to her breast, just made a sound.

"Ru-by…"

Startled with the feel of vibration at her sternum, she looked down to see the soft brown eyes of Tsukune opened, staring blankly ahead.

Didn't she close them?

Shaking her head to clear the cow webs and sleepiness, she didn't think shock would do this to her, but it wouldn't surprise her. After all the emotional turmoil she had been through and the betrayal her conscious has been repeating in her mind…

The dark brown eyes shifted up towards her quickly, scaring her witless.

Jumping back in a moment of fright with the head still in her hands, at an extended arm's length, something heavy had gripped her hair and was now dangling about like some kind of latched weight.

It was a hand, his hand.

His hand...

...in her hair...

Tsukune's...hand...

...playing...fingers...moving...

...in her hair!

Tsukune's...

A small pathetic sound escaped her lips when the reality hit her.

He was playing with her hair!

Before she could make sense or see that this was nonsense, she watched as the jaw that still held parts of its neck flexed. Pulling air from the ripped esophagus, through the lax vocal cords, it moaned a word that took an obvious effort.

"Ruuuuuuuuuby…"

Unable to comprehend if she was awake or asleep, Toujou Ruby's subconscious decided she had had quite enough and fainted on the spot in a crumpled mess.

What she had missed would have surely stopped her heart. The pieces of Tsukune that had been tossed about like a dozen children's toys in a playground began to move of their own violation, slithering at a central hub.

The Elder Witch and Headmaster's aide, Toujou Ruby.


	6. Ch 6 What Do I Do?

Take What Is Yours Ch 6

Moka smelled like him.

That was the last thing Tsukune remembered when his wife and mate had held him so close, so lovingly and desperately close. The ache in her voice, the guilty look in her eyes, the repentant pleading of her fingers gripping his shirt to ripping just to get him to feel her regret and need of him.

He really did want to forgive her, but then there was that scent.

That undeniable scent.

It didn't register at first what it was, because it was so faint, so minuscule that he would have missed it had she not been in his personal space...

...but _it_ was there.

_It._

_That_ smell.

_His_ scent...

_Her_ scent had become...

..._their_ scent.

Gin's presence was on her now and it could only mean one thing. Since they hadn't seen each other since she had been with her family, he knew she bathed and put on fresh clothes. His Moka was forever altered by his once friends taint. She had thought of him, Gin, that one time, in the hall and as much as she claimed Tsukune mattered, it was her sempai that was on her mind.

Inside of her, Gin's flesh mated with her flesh and created life.

Her green eyes, who he had wanted to see smile at him full of life and shy adoration so long ago, had been apologizing and begging to him when he was wrapped in ropes of chains, hooks of some magical creation pierced him. The sacred act of love he had shared with her, making love, expressing love and creating monumental moments in their marriage as friends, lovers, partners…

…mates…

…was a memory that could never be tinged of its joy for what it was, now was something impure in his past.

She was not a wife anymore. Moka wasn't the Moka he knew. She was going to be someone's mom...

...Gin would be the father.

They created a family together.

Where did that leave him? What did that make him?

It made him angry.

So, _so_ angry.

Not a second passed that when he spoke those words did he see black and his world was pulled from him. Sight, sound, touch, taste, scent, everything that made him aware was gone.

Pain.

It wasn't just the feel of splintered bones, crushed emotions, and tarnished memories but just pain…

_Rip…_

_Tear…._

_Shread…_

_Disembowel…_

Seductive words echoed in his mind of what would make the pain go away, but he would have to do all of those things to someone he once loved and those around him...

…at least that's what the voices in his head told him.

**_Reach out and do it… _**It said.

_Do what? _He could hear another voice say.

**_Those things._**

_She's Moka! I don't want to hurt her._

**_She didn't mind hurting_** **yooooooooou**.

_Then I'll let her go so she can find happiness somewhere else! _

**_Give iiiiiiinnnnn to iiiiiiiiiitt!_**

_I'll get over this, in time. I can love again and find happiness without hurting her or others!_

**_Taaaaaaake heeeeeeeerrr! Hiiiiiiit Heeeeeer!_**

_Stop! I…I still care for her and…look how sad she is. She didn't mean for it to go this far and…_

**_ Heeeeeeeeeeeerrrrr!_**

_Nothing is worth killing her for…for…_

**_Cuuuuuuuuut heeeeeer!_**

_Maybe…maybe…if she could feel what I'm feeling…_

The idea of her green eyes becoming painfully aware of what she had did to him through measures she had taken to him seemed…inviting.

**_Squeeeeeeeeeeaze her…Maaaaaakeee heerrr reeeeggggrrrreeeaaaatttt!_**

_Maybe it will feel a little better if…if…what's that smell?_

The voice changed, turning oddly familiar. Now it was like his…no, it wasn't just his own voice.

Both of them were.

He was talking to him, but one was angry and the other was…

No, himself was speaking with his voice…

Or was another part of him speaking to another one of himself?

Himselves? Was that such a thing? Multiple hims? It didn't make sense, but, yet…

…someone, two someone's was voicing what he was trying so hard to hide from.

One angry and the other had to have been his own perceptions, the one that WAS him, yet…wasn't?

Was he really that far gone in his rage?

**_Oh, ho, ho! She's got a baby! She's got a baby! Baaaaaby! Is it yours? Is it yours? Hmmmmmmmmmmm? Do you think they'll call it little Gin? Gin can sleep on your side of the bed and wear your clothes! I'm sure he'll be thankful for aaaaaaaaaaaallllllll the hard work you took into breaking Moka in for him! Don't worry, Giiiiiiin will take suuuuch goooood care of her! _**

_ Hahahahahahahaaa! _

Laughter... _  
_

**_You were just practice! You were the snack before the meal! _**

_Hahahahahaaaa! _

It was scary and it was with his voice...

He was laughing and he could understand why.

It made no sense and yet...

Yet...

**_You were the game to play with till she found a real maaaaaaan!_**

The voices in his head got silent…and then he heard something else. Something after wards…in his voice.

_Kiiiiilll…them…all…._

It felt good…felt free…felt like a step into bliss…

_**Dooooooo...iiiiiiitttt!**_

_Release together…_

_**Cuuuuutttt...thhhhhhheeeeeeemmmmm...**  
_

_Fall together…_

Eyes closed and just…

_Kill...Moka…Mokaaaaaaa…killlll…Giiiin…Moka….shred…..Moka…hurt…Gin…Moka…Gin…die…slay…Moka…Mokkkkaaaaaaa…_

**I won't let you**, a third voice spoke, wiser and gentler with a serenity he hadn't felt or even considered in so long_. _**I'll stop you and you will thank me. Even if it is the end of you.**

Darkness took him.

* * *

"Greetings." Mikogami called out to the seated figure in the waiting room. "I hope you have not waited long."

Large ice burg blue pupiless eyes turned to the voice, one of her many braids of sacred tradition fringing her pretty baby blue locks of hair. Robes of duty and status draped her shoulders in velvety folds of cool tones of blue and violet.

The Snow Priestess reflected her own clairvoyant eyes to Mikogami's enigmatic ones. "I have waited seventy fives years for this moment."

"Then lets not waste another second, shall we?"

* * *

"Ruuuuuu-"

She was hearing it again.

"-byyyy."

Had she died? Hopefully. Yes, the spirits had finally claimed her and she was waking up to the world of the dead. The ghosts of her most precious people were going to greet her.

"Ruby,"

See, her Tsukune was there and he was…

Did this place really have such cold and gravelly floors? Rather disappointing. Also, she was cold and there was a draft coming from somewhere. Out of all her expectations of what the afterlife would be like she'd never imagined it to be… well…

…real?

"Ruby, are you okay?" She felt his strong arms embrace her.

A soft sigh escaped the dark haired witch when she opened one dark violet eye to drink the look of concern on her friend who was as she remembered him before he was torn apart like confetti.

At least he was here with her. Had he seen her parents yet? She hoped they weren't too hard on him, but they were good people. She needed to tell him something.

Reaching up, she touched his face and spoke with all the sincerity and passion that filled her heart. "I love you, Tsukune."

It would seem even in death Tsukune could make her laugh. The look he gave her was absolutely priceless. It wasn't so much shock as it was an affectionate sucker punch and she knew it. Ah well, she had all of eternity to make it up to him.

Was that a pebble in her hip?

It kind of stung. She reached out from under her and flicked it away. Now she can enjoy eternity pebble free...until she ran into another one. Seriously the afterlife was sort of disappointing.

It needed fixing, maybe she'd sweep up later.

His eyes took in her confession with muted surprise, but he recovered well enough, sincerely enough. "I know, Ruby."

The pads of his thumb brushed a lock of hair from her face, his willing accepting of her confession set her mind at ease. She could deal with pebbles and cold floors so long as he was here.

"Not as just a friend-" She wanted to be clear about that, she'd never had the nerve back when they were both among the living, now, however, was a whole different story.

"I know, Ruby." He interrupted her with his thick baritone, his husky voice drawing close to her feminine lilt.

"I really, really…"

"Ruby" He ghosted his lips over her own. "I know…I know."

Their lips parted gently, chins raised and eyes closed in acceptance as she gripped his arm. He lowered himself to her, tasting her exhale as he began to seal her lips...

"I see our guest has arrived," Mikogami called out from the doorway, taking in Tsukune's and Ruby's compromising position with his eerie smirk.

With him was none other than the Snow Priestess.

_Why was she here? Where they both dead as well? _She thought.

"M-Master?" Ruby erected herself so fast both the dark haired witch and her supposed to be dead love smacked each other's head.

Okay, being dead was becoming more and more disappointing to her.

"Ow!"

"Ah!"

Ruby and Tsukune were rubbing matching red spots on their foreheads.

"Guest?" Ruby tried to think back to when he had mentioned something before about a guest coming to visit. "You mean her?"

The Snow Priest kept herself away, mysteriously silent and enjoying the little spectacle.

"Headmaster-sama, what is going on?" Tsukune asked in a seated position next to his watchful elder witch.

"No, Ruby, I wasn't speaking of the Snow Priestess. She's been here for quite some time now." Turning his attention to the young human, he gestured at his lower body. "See if you can piece it together yourself, Aono-san. Literally and figuratively, of course."

At his legs, or, at least, where they should have been.

Catching Ruby's and Tsukune's attention with his unhurried remark, they both looked down to see Tsukune was, in fact, currently only half a man.

In every sense of the world.

"No…way…" Tsukune's hand instinctively went to touch the stumps of his limbs when he saw that they were, in fact, discarded just a few feet away.

He had been sitting on what was left of his hip and leaning towards Ruby to wake her up.

No discomfort or pain had registered yet.

"Tsukune!"

Now Ruby was all too aware she was alive and her friend had to be in incredible-

"Wait, you're alive and this doesn't hurt?" Ruby blinked suddenly confused, even going so far as to poke his stumps. "You're not a zombie like Ling Ling are you?"

Tsukune frowned, more annoyed at her jabs then it actually suffering from any kind of pain. "I don't think so."

Ruby was seriously going to have to see what she could do to get her thoughts back in order. Being alive came first to being in pain.

Her friend seemed to be having just as much of a hard time dealing with that same fact as she was.

Ruby was always passionate about her ideals, loyal, and normally well mannered. There was always this mystery with her, this edge of reality that she could invoke the most serious of disasters if she willed it, but she was also turned by people's hearts, moved by simple acts of friendship, and murderous towards those who threatened her precious people. For Tsukune to be breathing, living, together…

…mostly…

...after all that had happened and seeing him explode, holding his cold, rubbery skull to her body, she couldn't believe that part which was once inanimate was not the same face, the same jaw, but different color with warm and vitality.

Tsukune was alive...

Alive...

Alive...

Accepting that her friend was, indeed part of the living and she was not a part of the spirits who had come to a demise, natural or otherwise, she slowly let herself fall into him, gripping him so tight, so achingly close, that he would have sworn he was her life line to sanity.

"You're trembling, Ruby-chan," Tsukune's spoke quietly into her neck.

Sighing with a hiccupp'd whine, her nose became runny, and her eyes red with the reality that her beloved friend was with her in the here and now, she could only nod.

"Please, don't cry," Tsukune cupped the back of her head and smoothed her raven locks. He could see she was trying to hold it in for some form of inner meaning, but that was quickly lost when she felt her nails dig into his back.

Wracked sobs echoed in the room.

She shook her head and pushed herself ever so much closer, trying to become one with him.

"I was so scared..." Was all she could say.

No one said anything out of respect for her.

And she took her time to some composure, feeling greedy about just simply enjoying him with her again, that Tsukune was real and not some hoax or illusion.

She'd had far too many of those lately.

Tsukune could only hold her and feel completely humbled about how this woman who had stayed here with his remains and grieve over his demise. Had he really meant that much to her? How would any of his friends have felt if they were to know this? How would Moka?

The thoughts of what she had in her at the moment almost made him sick. As much as he was sure she was not exactly cheering for joy, he knew his 'death' would hurt her greatly.

Then there was his mom…

_She must be so worried right now_, he thought.

"As you can see, things about you are not exactly in the best state." Mikogami said sounding amused. "However, considered what transpired here, you're better then what should be expected of such an event."

Tsukune looked at him questioningly. "Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

"Well I am here Tsukune what does that tell you?" Mikogami asked.

"Crap, so I wound up in Hell."

The Snow Priestess's chuckled into her sleeve at his comment.

"Tsukune?" Ruby rubbed her nose with her sleeve, giving her complete focus to him.

_No, not hell. Not when she's with me,_ he thought.

"Maybe heaven."

Smiling at him, she leaved forward to kiss him, and he started to pull her close when...

"It would seem the Shinso blood hasn't fully incorporated itself yet, has it, Mikogami-sama?" The Snow Priestess circled around the room, examining Tsukune's remaining limb and nudging it with her toe.

Ruby, as well as Tsukune, were getting tired of these interruptions.

"True, but I think that has more to do with him not coming to terms with his purpose. If he's not fully immersed himself, then it won't restore him completely. Shinso is a reflection of his own will and mind as much as anything else. Once he accepts it he should be fine"

"Accept what?" Tsukune asked. "I'm sorry, but I just don't understand what is going on here. Am I dead or what?"

Mikogami grinned. "Well looking at you I'd say you're about thirty seven percent dead, but your outlook is positive depending on your own thoughts, feelings, and actions."

"Huh?"

Everyone turned to Tsukune who was now leaning heavily against Ruby.

He had been so caught up in her welfare when all of the lingering scents of vampires, succubi, and Mikogami's eccentric guards have left that she had been his focus, his anchor to see if she was well.

She hadn't been.

Holding him so tenderly close, so achingly affectionate, he had to come back to her, if only to tell her 'thank you for everything.' When she opened those violet eyes and spoke those words to him, he didn't feel as surprised by them as much as he felt exactly the same way.

But, there was just one thing, two things actually…

Ruby voiced them better then he could have.

"You knew this was going to happen from the beginning! When you said you were expecting a guest you weren't talking about the Priestess! You were talking about Tsukune! You knew he was going to come back to life." Ruby shouted, positioning herself between her young friend and her Master. She wasn't sure if she was more indignant that she was left out of his whole plan or upset that he could have warned her that Tsukune would have been fine no matter what appearances might seem.

Mikogami simply grinned.

"She's very perceptive, Mikogami-san. I can see why you trust her to these tasks." The Snow Priestess's fringes rippled with her movements.

"I believe a 'welcome back' should suffice for a way of greeting, Aono-san," Mikogami canted his head a little, amused at the confusing developments that were being unraveled.

"Welcome back?" He still sounded lost.

"Tsukune, don't you remember?" Ruby sat, hip to hip with him, balancing him so he won't topple over. "You were executed! Found guilty because of those stupid trumped up charges!"

"They were not trumped up," Mikogami corrected, "They are very much real and have been documented so, Ruby, however if you mean that Tsukune's fate was also predetermined you are correct. Although..."

Keeping Tsukune's glare he reflected it without concern.

"...I didn't kill you."

Ruby's head snapped back towards Mikogami and then back to Tsukune.

"That HAS to be a lie!" Ruby pointed towards the smears of blood where the chains had dragged parts of his flesh. "We all saw you rip him to pieces!"

"Oh, I will not deny that I was going to rip you apart, Aono Tsukune," Mikogami lost his grin, instead he made his way before Tsukune, lowering himself towards the young man and studying him with his very enigmatic gaze. "The whole court case and event was just to buy time for me to confirm that you were the majority carrier of the bloodline Shinso. I purposely had the succubi sisters brought here to set up a dazzling debacle in which to keep everyone's minds busy till that moment was needed to stir your emotions enough to enact the precious element inside of you."

Mikogami reached out into the floor and slid his fingers across a patch of blackened blood. Bringing it close to Tsukune, he smeared it over Tsukune's arm and watched as it disappeared into his skin in some weird form of epidermal osmosis.

"The runes on this floor was set for every contingency that vampires could possibly use, but there was one that I had anticipated for the sole purpose of subduing an activated Shinso. I didn't trigger your capture in the court, Tsukune. You did."

"Me?" Tsukune blinked in confusion.

"I didn't kill you, though. You exploded from the inside out. Basically, I was holding you in place and you fell apart." Standing up, he took in Tsukune's face as well as Ruby's. "Do you deny that?"

It was Tsukune's answer that surprised Ruby.

"No, I believe it."

Touching Ruby's stupefied gawk, he touched her face. "I felt something inside me go dark, go...I don't know. Very, very wild and then I just felt darkness. I honestly don't know what happened, but I am sure what he is saying is right."

"It just can't be," Was all Ruby could say.

The Snow Priestess answered her.

"Mm-hmm, Oh yes it could if he has the Shinso blood." The Snow Priestess hovered just around them, enthralled with the conversation and unable to keep her own thoughts out of it. "This is such an exciting time. I'm glad I'm here."

"Tsukune, there has been plans set in motion years before your father 'stumbled' upon the application." Mikogami replied smoothly. "Trust me when I say that we knew of the events that brought us to this moment in time. "

"There is no way you could have figured all this out so accurately!" Tsukune looked ready to lunge at him. "How could you have planned all this? Have you been spying on me? Keeping tabs? Did you know Moka was going to do this to me? Answer me!"

"He can't answer you," The Snow Priestess intervened, blocking Tsukune's sight with her own body. "Because I am the one who has been watching you and told Mikogami those plans that have been put into affect."

Ruby and Tsukune found the admittance comprehending, but hardly satisfying to their nerves. "You?"

"Mikogami-san and I have been working together, Tsukune. I have always been very protective of the Snow people, which I'm sure you're more then well aware of considering your friendship with Mizore," The Snow Priestess began to explain, "So you can see how survival of our species is a concern to me. One of the deals I have with him to allow our snow women to come here is to assist him with his endeavors. As you can see, we've thrived very well due to our symbiotic partnership."

It was Tsukune's turn to tremble in Ruby's arms.

"Why wouldn't you warn me?"

It was the Snow Priestess turn to look squarely into his eyes. "If you could decide if the happiness of one person was worth the lives of millions, would you knowingly hurt that person?"

Before he could answer that, Mikogami interjected. "Something else to think about from this future on out, Tsukune, is this. Does a good person have to be nice or gentle? Do good people's actions become justified if the ends subject a few to ruin and yet many more are benefited from it?"

"You're using him," Ruby figured it out before he could.

"No, _we're_ using him," The Snow Priestess folded her hands. "You see, Tsukune, but before I do explain this further, I want you to know that as we all sit here and dawdle, time is passing and one of my prophecies are about to become a reality."

Ruby and Tsukune could only glance at each other when the reality hit Tsukune square between the eyes.

"Mizore."

Nodding, the priestess tilted her head at him and asked one simple question. "In twelve hours time, Gin will arrive in our village to become the father of your friend, Hutaro Mizore's next child. Now, think of what that one question is if you wish to 'save her'?"

Looking down at his legs and then at Ruby, he could only ask himself one question. "What do I do?"


	7. Ch 7 Take What Is Yours

Take What Is Yours

Ch 7 Take What Is Yours

"The question you should be asking yourself is 'What do you want'?" The Snow Priestess answered him with her own inquiry.

By his lackluster expression, Mikogami and the Snow Priestess could tell this was something he had yet to actually consider. With Ruby at his side, his eyes lingered on his missing lower half and it was obvious what he wanted to happen but wasn't sure about how to go about doing it.

"Tsukune," Mikogami dusted his fingers over a ledge and wiped it, rolling the granules between his fingers. "You have complete free reign to do as you wish right now. The vampire family of the greatest clan and Hades Lord think you're dead, you are no longer married, and your freedom is guaranteed till you decide to make yourself known. Think about it. Right now, you have no bonds to everyone who thinks you're removed from the living. You. Are. Free."

While that may seem like a good idea to most, he couldn't help but think of one thing.

Ruby said it before he could. "At what cost?"

"You are mine, Tsukune." Mikogami's trademark grin spread even wider then before. "However, it's not as if your position under my employ will be hard for you. If anything, I want you to continue doing what you have been for as long as you've been in my realm without my guidance."

"And that would be?" Tsukune narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Tsukune, you've exceeded my expectations in every level that I could have put before you, so I'm going to continue letting you do what you do best." Mikogami gestured casually, "Love your friends and make more as you feel compelled to."

"But...how does that help you?" Tsukune asked with narrowed comprehension.

"Eventually, I want you to breach the barriers of humans and monsters."

Only the Snow Priestess seemed to not show some form of shock from Mikogami's proposal.

Ruby and Tsukune had not noticed.

"You're mad," Was all Ruby could answer for such a proclamation.

"Quite," Mikogami answered, but not with a grin. "I'm furious that in the near future, approximately fifteen to twenty years from now there is going to be a time of change. A time that will be absolutely epic that it will either destroy the world or remove monsters from existence forever."

That was not the 'mad' Ruby was referring to.

"It's true," The Snow Priestess confirmed, giving her own voice to the Head Master's. "I can't place exactly when, but in about two decades from now, there will be a time of change that will collapse everything we know. Events are moving as we speak, people are changing history by their actions and all of my predictions are becoming more likely or less likely by every passing second."

Ruby squeezed Tsukune's arm, "How can you possible pin all of this on Tsukune! He's just a boy from the human world! How was he supposed to know any of this?"

"Actually, Ruby, he's a very exceptional boy," Mikogami clasped his hands in front of him in a favorable gesture, "A young man, excuse me. You are an exception young man that has not only seen the ugly side of monsters, but still found a place in your heart to not only endure their abuse," Mikogami purposely steeled his eyes at Ruby, making her turn away guiltily, "but make them convert their emotions of hate and destruction to one of protectiveness for you and other humans alike. Your results, for being 'just a boy' are beyond astronomical."

"So you knew all this from the beginning? Everything from the time I first came to school? It was always just going to be me and always me?"

"No," The Snow Priestess interceded. "There were others, Tsukune. Hakuto is only one of the many who have exceeded our expectations and still failed."

"Some expectations went even beyond our lowest, Mr Aono. I wish you had met him when he had first came here. Needless to say, some predictions not only fail, but they do so catastrophically." Mikogami exhaled with as much emotion as he could muster.

"So I'm next." Tsukune realized half heartedly.

"That choice is up to you," The Snow Priestess floated between them. "Hakuto sought power to enrage the differences between monsters and humans, Tsukune. You've got power beyond your everyone's comprehension. What will you do with it? Now that you have not only freedom but you have access to power that would rival any and all the Dark Lords. Your path is clear. Now, tell us, what do you want?"

Feeling slender fingers curled around his neck protectively, he could practically feel Ruby's hackles raise at the double ended question.

She worried for his sake and it made him smile.

"I want Ruby."

"Admirable," Mikogami answered smoothly, but the Snow Priestess's usually calm facade pinched at his answer.

Ruby, however, was not as receptive as Tsukune had hoped she would be. If it wasn't the wince of her eyebrows that might have clued him to such a proposition, it was her next words that made him firm in her stance.

"Pick someone else, Tsukune."

Her polite rejection made him do a double take. He was sure she would have been eagerly happy to be his girl, but it was the way her head was shaking and that mysterious smile of hers that made him realize it wasn't because of a lack of love or a desire not in her.

It was something else.

"Why?" Was all he could think to ask.

Now she kissed him, fully and passionately, lovingly and eagerly.

"I can't bear children, Tsukune." She whispered hoarsely, painfully aware of her defects. "I won't be able to extend to you the honor of a family that you so desperately want."

"But how?" Was all Tsukune could do to even begin to understand the wretched feelings stirring in his friends heart and soul.

"When I released that horrible spell at Witch's Knoll," Tsukune wiped at her eyes, feeling her about ready to tremble herself out of her skin. "I saturated myself with mana, Tsukune. I pulled my own life force and burned it like a rocket to extinguish you and everyone of your friends. Because of that act, I...I..."

Tsukune watched Ruby's teeth take in her lip as she hid her face behind her dark pony tails.

"It's okay, Ruby-chan." He pulled her to him, letting her take his strength and his worry as he had from her those many days ago. "I still want you. I want you to be my girl."

Out of the corner of his eye, he barely noticed tendons from one of his legs worm their way towards his hips and connect, winching itself back to his body with a need of its own.

Observing the miracle of the Shinso react to his mood, Ruby could only smile happily at his progress.

"I can't be what you want me to be, Tsukune," The dark haired witch kissed his fingers, squeezing them with all her might. "But I swear to you, on my life, that I will be with you from this point forward as your lover, your friend, your confidant, and...and..."

Tsukune couldn't deny how cute she looked when she blushed, "...and your toy, if you'll have me."

While it hadn't been what he had wanted of her, it seemed to fit her perfectly. She would always be there for him. He could depend on her, trust her, let her hold his life in her hands and she would be his shield and sword beyond comprehension.

"I accept you, Tojou Ruby, if you will accept me." Tsukune nuzzled her cheek with his own.

The scent of her pheromones was enough to forget they were being watched, but it didn't keep the elder witch from voicing one more request. "Will you be my Master, Tsukune?"

His eyes danced over her's with a blossoming joy that he hadn't felt in who knew how long. With Moka, with Gin, with everything in between and about, Tsukune could feel his soul lifting off the shackles of his burdens and things become clearer with this one person's desire of him.

And there were other's out there who needed him just as much.

"Yes, I will."

Violet eyes shot open and her lithe body pounced him. "Thank you, Master! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Squeezing him tightly, she latched onto his wiry frame and he, in turn, answered back. "No, Ruby-chan, thank you."

"While this is a wonderful expression for the two of you," The Snow Priestess answered with some heat in her tone, "You have yet to answer our question, Tsukune."

While there may have been doubt before, there certainly wasn't anymore.

Jerkily and with a purpose of its own will, ligaments and muscle sew themselves together, latching almost zipper-like as muscles knitted and veins sealed themselves over nerves...

"Ow!" Tsukune grimaced in the arms of his soon be dark lover.

"What is it?" Ruby watched in professional awe as his limbs that were once severed had found their rightful place on his body, despite the mess of some stains of dark blood.

"It kind of aches as if it fell asleep." He rubbed his thighs and soon, with her help, he was back on his unsteady feet like a newborn foal.

Mikogami kept continued to observe Tsukune and Ruby together, him using her as a crutch and her deeply enjoying being used.

"Mikogami-sama, there are more important things-" The Snow Priestess began to intervene, but it was Tsukune who interrupted her.

"I know what I have to do." He spoke over the lush tresses of Ruby's hair.

Mikogami only tilted his head towards Tsukune, encouraging for her to listen to him.

"Very well," She exhaled with a mild temper. "Would you mind letting the rest of us know?"

Touching Ruby's face with one small kiss, he looked her dead in those mesmerizing pools of violet and said, "I'm going to give back what was freely given to me. I'm going to return my friends affections, all of them, and make myself a friend they can all be proud of."

"That's all well and good, Tsukune," Mikogami answered, "But how do you intend to do that? Gin is on his way to claim Mizore's last chance at having a child within the next twelve hours and if you were to get there through normal means it would take you at least a day and half."

Now Tsukune could see the need to expedite things.

"But, there has to be tunnels, dimensional portals, and all sorts of things like that, right?"

"There is, Mr Aono," The Snow Priestess answered him easily, "But that was when you had an excess amount of time. Now, it would seem, even if you tried your best, you will still be too late."

"Busdriver-san! He helped me before, so he could help me again, right?" Tsukune still winced at the feeling of pins and needles going down to his toes.

"Who do you think is picking up Gin?" Mikogami replied without any humor.

With that knowledge, Tsukune knew that there was even less time. If there was one thing the busdriver was exceedingly good at, was punctuality and crossing worlds in very short amounts of time.

"Magic," He glanced at the two supreme powers at hand. "Moka could transport herself and I from one plane to another quite easily. Surely either one of you could, especially you Snow Priestess."

Two pupiless eyes regarded his request seriously. I could get you there in about eighteen hours, still way after Gin would arrive and, quite possibly do what was needed to complete his purpose and be on his way back home."

Tsukune turned his gaze towards Mikogami.

"I only get involved when they suit my needs, Tsukune. You can still maintain a relationship between yourself and Mizore while she bears Gin's child. I have no interest who's progeny she births so long as your friendship remains."

Grumbling sourly, Tsukune was about to let loose a rant that was building in his conscious, but a grip from behind his shirt made him aware Ruby had yet to say anything. "I could get you there in about eight hours, Tsukune."

Spinning around to take her in, he smiled excitedly. "Really?"

While he couldn't tell, Ruby's palms were sweating expectantly. She simply nodded.

Mikogami frowned and even the Snow Priestess was shaking her head.

"MMph!" Ruby squealed when his lips sought her's again and she melted into him, turning boneless and malleable in his arms. When he parted, he whispered to her, and only her. "I'm going to give Mizore a baby, Ruby."

"I know."

"When I come back, I'm going to do what I can to help Yukari and then you rebuild Witch's Knoll."

Swallowing a gloriously large lump of happiness she couldn't even begin to describe, she simply nodded eagerly. "Okay, Master."

"Then, from there," Tsukune took his time looking at each of the powers of authority in the room with him. "I'm going to make sure Kurumu comes back to Japan with me so I can properly be her Destined One."

"She's not allowed back in Japan, Tsukune. It's against my orders." Mikogami reminded him cautiously.

"If she's in Witch's Knoll, then she won't be in Japan. By all rights, she'll be in your territory and it will be the next asylum for any monster who wishes to escape persecution. Kurumu will be the first." Tsukune answered, but not without realizing something. "That is, if it's okay with you, Ruby-chan."

Hands clasped, Ruby was vigorously nodding her head. "Oh, yes Master! My home is yours!"

"Will that do?" Tsukune folded his arms over his chest, still marred with a huge 'X' crossing his sternum and solar plexus.

White gloves interlaced their fingers as he considered Tsukune's direction. "If she can make it from America to Japan without being noticed and stays withing the confines of Witch's Knoll, then it will be allowed. However," Mikogami made a point of raising one finger, "She even crosses someone's imagination that she has become some kind of weird creature with wings and a tail I'll send Kuyou after her."

**_Huuuuurrrrt...hiiiiiiim..._**

The voice made Tsukune shake his head, growling for that part of him to settle down.

"I'll protect my friends at all time, Headmaster-sama. Even from you." He promised vaguely, but with some heat in his words.

"We'll see," Mikogami answered with a grin.

Apparently, that was the right thing to say.

From behind, Tsukune could hear the mystical words of the arcane burning the air as runes appeared on the ground with incomprehensible glyphs showing odd circular and triangular patters of science and geometry.

Ruby's hair was aloft with the sheer force of reality bending to her will.

Like some opening in the fabric of reality, Ruby's violet eyes were steel and flint in their concentration. "Hurry back to me, Master."

"I will Ruby," he wanted to touch her one more time before he left, but it was not an easy spell she had invoked and it seemed to be taking all of her concentration to just keep it active. "When I come back, I'm going to make love you and thank you each and every way you deserve."

One side of her lips quirked at the idea, making the dimensional portal quiver with her break in concentration.

"Tsukune, hurry! You don't have much time! There's still no promise that it will only be 8 hours! It could be ten or eleven!"

"Right," Tsukune started to step through, but Mikogami stopped him at the last moment. "So now what are you going to do? Ask Mizore for a walk, let her know of your feelings? You really don't have much time, Tsukune."

"I know." He removed the Headmaster's hand from his arm.

"Then what are you going to do?"

Taking everyone in, he answered simply, "I'm going to take what was always mine."

Seeing there was no more questions, he took off at a sprint and entered the portal.

When it collapsed, Ruby spewed another violent bit of bloody bile on the floor, making her seizure where she lay.

Mikogami and the Snow Priestess watched as the young woman jerked in time with an odd pulse going through her body. "You knew this would happen to you, didn't you?"

"N-No mo-more th-then yo-you di-di-did." Ruby answered as best she could before her eyes rolled into her head and her body locked up in spasms.

"Lets get the doctors in here," Was the last thing Mikogami said before turning his attention towards the Snow Priestess.

She was laughing.

"It has begun!"


	8. Ch 8 Ice And Fire

AN: I would like to thank Soulblazer_87 for writing a good bit of the fight scene and Lord Of The Land Of Fire for the beta. Thank you both very much for your help.

Your Mistress.

* * *

Take What Is Yours Ch 8

Fire and Ice

One moment he was with Ruby the Headmaster and the Snow Priestess, the next he found himself waist deep in snow. Perhaps the journey really had taken eight hours as Ruby had suggested, because when he had left Youkai Academy it had been felt like it was in the early AM, but when he arrived it felt like he was just approaching twilight. So far as his senses could tell it had been instantaneous. Believing time was of the essence, his appearance was greeted by the ever present blizzard hitting him like with gale force winds and near blinding snow. Only now did he realize how completely unprepared he was for this kind of weather. Granted, the last time he had visited the Snow People, he had been wearing nothing special, but now his clothes were in tatters and he was as cold as could be.

Yet, it wasn't as unpleasant as it should have been.

Looking down at his hands, he understood that he was 'cold', but it was nothing more than a mild annoyance. He certainly didn't feel like he was in danger of freezing to death. It was unpleasant but tolerable and it surprised him because he knew he should have been experiencing some form of hypothermia if he wasn't sheltered quickly.

Was this a result of the Shinso bloodline that the Chairman and Snow Priestess had raved about?

Probably, he mused. If it could bring him back from being torn apart and maybe save the world it only made sense it would shield him from the elements too.

Looking about, he noticed it was late. The sun was falling towards the snow capped hills. Judging the distance he guessed he was about a quarter mile from Mizore's village and who knew how much further from her home. He had only visited her village a couple of times, but it was always with an escort. Sadly, he was not that familiar with it and was embarrassed to admit he didn't exactly know where in the world it was, so time zones baffled him. There was no guarantee that even if he managed to find Tsurara's house again that Mizore would be there. Supposedly, he only had about four hours or less to find her, but a sinking feeling in him told him he was already too late.

Deciding to not waste any precious time and prove himself wrong, he knew he needed to hurry if he wanted to see her and convince her before Gin arrived.

The snow crunching underfoot stopped when that name came to mind.

Gin…

Would he meet him here?

**Huuuuuuuurrrrttttt…hiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmm….**

The idea was appealing and yet there was that fact that…

**…hhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmm…**

...Moka's child would need a father. Everything was already in motion. For Moka the die had been cast. He had wanted to be with her so badly then and give her what he had believed they both had wanted, but through pride and stubbornness she let words and promises overtake reason.

If her actions hadn't sealed her fate that night, the knowledge that, as poor a choice as Gin might be, he was the father of her child. Tsukune would fight that growling voice in his head that spoke freely of hurting his ex-wife's werewolf lover and just let the son of a bitch live.

**KKKKKKKiiiiiiiillllll… hhhhhiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmm…**

"Aaaaarrgh!" Tsukune gripped the side of his head.

That voice would not yield so quietly, it would seem.

Those words…

"It doesn't matter," he muttered to himself. Where he had failed in his most precious of people, there were others who needed him and sought him out.

**Hhhheeeeerrrr...Nnnneeeeddddd...hhhheeeeerrr...**

It would seem the primal self within him could prioritize what was more important and Mizore seemed to take first tier instead of slaughtering the man that took his spouse.

He started moving through the snow, lumbering with each clumsy step.

Tsukune couldn't deny that had loved her. He had loved her so much, but in the end what did it matter? She had been trying to convince him to see things her way but failed. He had failed to convince her to give them time to think things through and now everything had come to this conclusion.

_Put it aside_. He thought. _I can't do anything about the past now, I need to worry about the present and the future.  
_

He was here in the Snow People's Village and such thoughts were making his steps slow and heavy…

"Mizore…"

He needed to see her and explain…

No, not explain. There wasn't time.

**Taaaaaaaakkkkkeeeeee…hhhhhhhheeeeeeeeerrrrrr…**

"Yes," Tsukune's own perceptions paralleled the voice, making his eyes bled, became slits in the face of the stinging wind. Teeth elongated, shoulders hunched, his lips spread unnaturally wide as he bound through the snow drifts and the winds with a quickening eagerness.

Aono Tsukune would ask for nothing this night.

He would take it.

**"MMMIIIZZZOOORRREEE...!"**

* * *

A howl off in the distance brought some of the guards keeping watch of the village to alert. Two were idly sitting by the edge of the village sitting on their snow mobiles when their hands strayed towards their weapons.

Snow ball launchers.

Equivalent to human bean bag launchers, they hurled snow balls at impressive speeds meant to drive away some of the curious but usually dangerous creatures that wandered too close to home.

"Another yeti?" One asked the other.

"Couldn't be." He responded, squinting his eyes as he aimed his flood lamp in the direction of a shuffling noise approaching them. "It's too small."

"Bear cub?"

"No, but that definitely didn't sound like a bear."

"Then what was it?"

The two Snow Men removed the safeties from their weapons in their holsters and brought it up to take aim. Still unsure of what they heard or if things were safe, one called out to the other in a silent gesture.

"Get back up."

"Right," The other boundary guard clicked his radio into life, "Snow House Gulf, this is Sierra Gulf One Five, Over."

"Sierra Gulf One Five, this is Snow House Gulf." The radio came to life with a mild staticy voice over the wind.

"Snow House Gulf, we've got some kind of movement in our location and we're going to investigate. May need back up."

"Acknowledge, Sierra Gulf One Five. Stand By and we'll have another unit heading your way. Unit Two Seven is on the other side of the village but they can meet you in five mites. Confirm, over."

(Mites in radio speak is 'minutes'.)

"Acknowledge, we are to Stand By and unit Two Seven will met us at our location in five mites. Wilco, Over."

"Is there anything else, unit One Five? Over."

"Negative. One Five, out."

The radio was silent as the two glanced at their watches.

Five minutes...

The slow, lumbering sound of motion in the snow plus the eerie howl had put them on alert, however there was something that brought their attention to new heights when they heard the tell tale sound of crunching snow approaching in rapid succession.

And they were too slow to train their weapons on it or defend themselves.

**Bang! Bang!** **Crash! **

Try as they might, they could only catch glimpses of shadows and flickered silhouettes as a creature with red rimmed eyes and humanoid in shape disarmed them only after shots were fired and missed horribly.

They were taken out with ease.

* * *

Tsukune stood over their two unconscious forms flexing his hands and the weapons they had used to try and shoot him with.

As much as he wondered if attacking them was the right thing to do instead of just announcing himself and asking for directions, the voice in his head was having a stronger effect on his logic. There were still things going on in his mind that he was unable to keep his instincts from taking over. As much as the Shinso bloodline was supposed to be this grand ability, he was already sensing just how of a price it had to take to keep it in control and that it required a toll he was not ready to pay.

His eyes locked on their throats and he felt the thirst rising up in him. Restoring himself from what he had been to what he was now used up a lot of his youkai energies. He hadn't realized just how depleted he was.

**Drrriiinnnkkk...….**

"No," Tsukune told himself. "We can feed once we get home."

**Ttttthhhhhiiiirrrrsssstttyyyy…nnnnnooooowww…oooorrrr…hhhhhuuuurrrrtttt…hhhhhheeeerrrr….**

Tsukune considered what his inner voice was telling him. True, he had not fed in a while and if he was starting to feel the pangs of hunger now who knew what kind of state he would be in when he saw his high school friend?

He needed to do something and the pulses in the veins of these two men were starting to look very…very…tempting. He licked his lips.

**Dddddrrrrriiiinnnnkkkk….NNNNNNNOOOOOOOWWWWWW!**

Their heartbeats echoed in his ears in their off pattern 'th-thumps'.**  
**

"No!" He shouted, but not without gripping his head again, digging his fingers into his scalp. He _promised _himself he would _never _drank a person's blood without permission. "But I have an idea."

**Sssssppppeeeeeaaaakkkk**.

"Tsurara," Was the only thing he could say. If she knew what his intentions were she would not only help him but she would also be discreet. There was still time, although not much.

Five minutes if he heard correctly. Actually, it was closer to four to be exact.

His inner voice made a small sound of impatient acceptance.

**Gggggoooo…**

He was gone.

* * *

Mizore's mother enjoyed a warm cup of tea every now and then, especially chamomile when she was feeling anxious about things. Mizore had come over a while ago telling her where she was going and that she needed for Siiko and their children to be watched over. Tsurara hadn't minded, but she could see the loss in her daughter's eyes and knew it only too well.

This was her last chance to get what she had always longed for and it was going to pass her by, never to be. It was sad, but that was life of a yukka-onna. You just didn't always get what you wanted.

Tsurara could only offer a silent sympathetic touch of her daughter's arm in condolences.

She had been in the same predicament as her daughter, but with less success of her own ability to give birth to one child instead of the incredible three her daughter had. While her husband was still around, he was the same as Mizore's in that they didn't really share affection for each other. He was a good man, but she had never loved him.

It wasn't a bad pairing and he was a decent person as could be expected.

Like all women, Tsurara had longed for a passionate romantic love. It was every woman's dream, even for the dutiful yukka-onna, to find and be with her one true love. Tsurara had never found a love like that. Where Mizore had at least met hers and failed, she had wondered, given how things had turned out, if she wasn't the luckier of the two.

"She should have just kidnapped him the moment she realized he was the one," Tsurara sighed as she took another blind sip of tea.

When Mizore had told her those many years ago about how the Snow Priestess had ripped her away from Tsukune when she was sure he would have consented to her wishes and made love to her, Tsurara had set the whole house glittering with sharp shards of ice.

Yes, it was the Snow Priestess, herself, who had prevented the affair, but that still didn't stop Tsurara from expressing her own rage for her daughter's misfortune.

_So close_, she had thought. _So_ _close and yet so far._

When Tsurara had attended Moka and Tsukune's wedding, she had seen the looks shared between the young couple. The elder snow woman felt a regretful acceptance when the very intimate air between them was so tangible that she couldn't help but understand that, perhaps, her daughter had never had a real chance with him. (Outside of kidnapping him of course.) Seeing the love between those two had at least made her daughter's fate bearable.

Mizore's reaction was a mix of shame and melancholy acceptance.

She would never be Tsukune's wife or bear his child, but she shouldered those regrets for the sake of their happiness. As painful as could be, Mizore gave her blessing and kissed his cheek. Wished both him and her happiness with little children to follow in their wake. As she said this, she was swollen with her own child and had not been a virgin for some time. A wedding ring had adorned her own left hand.

She had withdrawn way before any of the other women had. Hutaro Mizore returned to the village, to her husband and her family.

Ice began to rim the glass of her cup of tea and Tsurara had to chew down her ire less she had to reheat it. She liked her tea warm during times like this. It helped to distract her.

When they had danced at the Aono reception, Mizore had nudged his chin with her forehead and sniffled ever so softly under his gaze as she tried to keep a brave face for him and his wife. She could see Mizore do what she could to prevent her stomach from touching the man she loved and the way she would wince when her attempts had failed.

Even then, Tsukune kept a thoughtlessly carefree smile on his face.

He couldn't even tell that Mizore was suffering under his own nose because his mind was adrift to the person who had made his life complete and shattered the woman he was dancing with.

Aono Moka.

Mizore's friend and the girl who had gotten the thing her daughter treasured most.

So here things were now. Looking around her modest yet lovely home, Tsurara could hear the silence of the night, including the soft snores of her husband, her daughter's husband, and the children as they slumbered against the very cold air rushing over their shelter.

Her back was getting tight and she knew it was her own fault. Internalizing everything to keep up a serene façade was a trying effort and she decided that she needed to take a walk to relax and loosen herself before trying to go to bed.

She considered waking her husband to talk to him but quickly decided against it. Her thoughts were her own and what could a man understand about the going-ons in a woman's heart?

The door to her home was opened and she left with only a small shawl and yukata. She received the blast of arctic cold wind like most would a spring breeze, unaffected by its cold, but something caught her keen senses.

A howl.

Being one of the few capable and experienced veterans of combat of the normally docile Yukka-onna, Shirayuki Tsurara decided to check up on it. There were boundary wardens abound in her village, she was sure, but seeing how she couldn't sleep anyways it would be good to stretch her legs.

Although, it wouldn't hurt to go to her gun cabinet and be a bit prepared at the same time.

* * *

Jumping from one roof top to the next had not been what Tsukune had originally intended to do get across Mizore's village, but it just seemed 'right' when he couldn't get a clear view of where he was and the primal side of him initiated something his more socially acceptable mind wouldn't venture. There were patrols all over the outskirts and he was sure it was only going to be a matter of time before those two snow men were either found or didn't report in.

That was sure to bring in all sorts of attention inside of the village.

Another thought crossed his mind: Were they safe where they were without being watched and unable to defend themselves?

Shaking the thought out of his head, he continued on, scanning home fronts here and there and placing names of streets to memory.

Not without some semi soothing thoughts from the side that was dominating his conscious.

Hunching down, he heard the whine of a snowmobile crossing the powdery snow roads to eventually pass by him with a partner in tow.

They were heading back towards the direction he came. Probably to check on the two men he put down, he mused with respect to the clockwork structure of the people here.

That also meant he had even less time to do what needed to be done or this would be a failed attempt.

Standing up, he tilted his head to take in the crisp air into his lungs.

"People?" He spoke out loud, hearing his voice in the windy silence made him start.

It didn't sound like him, but someone else. His voice was thicker, rougher…more…adult? He knew he was always soft spoken and gentle in his address to people, but this sound coming from him made him grin.

Going back to what he was thinking about, he saw what had caught his attention so. It was a bus stop with people going in and out of their large transportation vehicles to who knew where.

One thought came to mind and he could feel his hackles rise.

Gin would be coming off one of those things soon.

**Nnnnnoooooooottttt…nnnnoooooowwww…..**

Releasing his clenched fist, Tsukune had to agree with his inner voice. There would be a time for retribution in the form of karma or his own hands in due time, but the priority now was to do what was needed.

He was thirsty and the urge to hurt was becoming less a suggestion and more of a need.

Trouncing away, he thought he caught the scent of the one he had been seeking for a while now.

"Mizore?"

Though it was old and the strong gale force winds had done their best to hide it, she was still there and his instincts pulled him to her.

* * *

Shirayuki Tsurara's eyes glazed over the two bodies of her people's guard leaning against a tree, unconscious but alive. Lips pressed firmly around her lollipop, she didn't have the mind to seek out their radios and call for help.

Instead, she saw a pair of human sized foot prints dashing off in a directions that made her worry.

"Mizore-chan," She voiced her daughter's name.

Every instinct in her told her that something powerful had come here, something unbelievably potent and she needed to at least confirm, for herself, that no one else would receive injury by this creature that would break into her people's sanctuary.

Jumping on one of the spare snow mobiles, she gunned it and sped away in the direction of her daughter's current habitat.

The direction where her daughter was staying for the night with other vulnerable and precious maidens of her people.

* * *

Tsukune was confused but delighted that he had found Mizore in the small cottage surrounded with other yukka-ona maidens.

She was up and staring at herself in a full length mirror with the yukata she had wore that night she had confessed to him in the snow flower fields so many years ago. As per habit, she had a lollipop in her mouth as she smoothed her hands along the beautiful azure fabric and dainty,yet feminine sandals with burgundy gold ribbons adorned her tiny feet.

His friend looked other worldly, angelic.

Her lavender blue hair had grown longer then when he had first met her. While she didn't have Kurumu's or even Moka's curves, there was a lush softness about her frame now that had taken form under the process of child birth that did nothing to deter her already lithe form.

There were the small signs of flawed perfection in her now that had not been there before. She was a woman in every sense of the word, markings visible with the slight darkening of her eyes and the way her thighs were just a little sturdier, like her hips.

If anything, it gave an allure to her that made Tsukune's heart jump.

A thought crossed his mind as memories of her stalking him those many times so long ago and, now, here he was, peeking in the window after following her scent and trying to be as covert as possible about it.

His reward still confused him for one reason.

"Why is she getting dressed?" He thought out loud in his deeper baritone.

Was it for Gin?

The thought made him growl loudly, reminding him of how, on that night, Moka had prepared herself in front of him for the sake of enticing lust in Gin to mock him...

...or was it to entice him to want her so badly that he would just fall under her spell?

She had said it was the later, but it had backfired and caused the dissolving of their world. Now, however, was not the time to be thinking of Moka but of Mizore.

Had he been too late, though?

Lifting his nose, he took in the scents of the air.

No, Gin was not yet here or had not yet been, so he was still early.

He had time, but the question would still have to be asked, 'Why was she getting dressed?'

Looking back at the young woman now posing in front of the mirror, Mizore gave a pretty little spin, flounced her hair, batted her eyes and hid her face behind her pretty fingers. Interestingly enough, he could hear her words muffled through the glass.

"I spent four months putting this together for you back then, Tsukune." She ran her hand over her belly, sighing over the stem of her lolli. "I really believed that day, in the field of flowers, that you would have given me what I had asked. I was sure of it."

That was all he had to hear.

A faded and tattered note book that brought back more memories did all it had to do to remind him of the hidden things she had done behind the eyes of spectators and kept locked in her own little world, never for anyone but those extremely special to her would ever know.

He knew inside were paper clippings from those days back at the Academy.

"Take me away, Tsukune," Mizore lovingly held the manuscript to her breasts. "Take me away and make me forget what I've done in the name of our village, please."

He was wrong, so very wrong.

She wasn't dressing up for the man prophesied to give her a child but for him in a memory shrouding play she wanted to enjoy one more time before it was gone forever.

How was he ever this stupid and this blind not to see how much he had hurt all of his friends, especially her?

She was right. He was going to give her a child that day and accept whatever repercussions would follow, but she was ripped from him and that was that.

"I was a coward," He admitted.

It was easy to say that everything he did after was purely for the sake of his friends as a whole, but that wasn't completely true.

He was scared that if he had a child with Mizore Moka would spurn him and he would lose her forever.

What was stopping him now?

The thought filled him with a hope, with an urge he hadn't felt since he had Ruby in his arms.

His body, however, made him realize something that his inner voice had warned him of.

"I need blood."

At those words, a presence made itself known.

* * *

Tsurara had dumped the snow mobile when she saw that the trail had just up and disappeared. It took her a moment to realize the 'intruder' had taken to the roof tops when clumps of snow had fallen from their overhang on one roof top to the next. Deciding to take a stealthy approach, she formed snow skies on her feet and pushed in the general direction of her prey.

It unnerved her to no end that her worries were confirmed that who or whatever was here was, indeed, going towards the direction of their daughter.

When she caught sight of the dark, looming figure peeking at her daughter through the window, she had almost relaxed. It would be the height of romance in her eyes if someone was peeking thoughtfully as their intended beloved and was just too shy to openly admit it.

Something about the way the boy appeared struck a cord in her memory, but just as she was about to offer a proper greeting, she heard something that made her heart stop.

"I need blood,"

The voice had also rung in her memory, but it was still too far away to safely confirm. Then there was that 'need' of his.

Oh no, he wasn't getting anywhere NEAR her daughter. Forming the native element she commanded with ease at her feet, the ground cracked and heaved as she gave herself elevation to put her opponent at a knowing disadvantage.

She made herself known.

* * *

"While I consider stalking and peeping as the highest form of compliment, I _will_ know what are you doing here?" Called out Shirayuki Tsurara, startling Tsukune from his prowl. She was perched on top of an ice pillar, her face set in its eternal emotionless facade. "Answer me, intruder, what are you here for?"

Tsukune stared at the nostalgic sight a bit before letting a soft smile appear on his face, relaxing. Sure he might look different, but Tsurara should be able to realize who it was, right?

Wrong.

"Greetings Tsurara-san. I'm looking for Mizore."

The moment the woman looked surprised that he knew her name, he also realized that he should have introduced himself.

Oops?

Because the woman's face became a mien of fury as ice crept up her her hands and the cold weather became much more so. "Intruder, you have entered our homes uninvited and seek one of our fertile females for your own purpose with the thought of 'blood' on your mind, and my own daughter's at that! You will pay with your life for this!"

Tsurara's hands blurred as she slashed upwards, causing multiple missiles of sharp ice to launch forward, making the newly reborn vampire leap away, dodging them with an ease that surprised even him. While he was used to fighting in a much weaker body than his current Shinso form, it amazed him at how everything just seem to move at his heightened senses whim.

It was almost as if another person was controlling him.

"Tsurara-san, please stop this!" He tried to reason with the woman, but he forgot that his voice was also different and she would not recognize it unless she was a bit less emotional.

With the hissing winds, the blurred snow disorienting both of their visions, Tsukune realized at this distance there was no way Tsurara would be able to recognize him, especially in his current form.

Then, another thought crossed his mind. When he first met her, Shirayuki Tsurara _isn't_ reasoned with when issues of her daughter came up and her emotions always dictated her actions even when she was the slightest bit upset.

She seemed utterly livid now.

"You will not get near my daughter!" She slammed her hand on the ground and her mastery over the element of ice and snow became apparent in an instant.

Tsukune told himself that if he survived this, he would do all he could to be mindful of Tsurara's wrath and how alike it paralleled Mizore's own.

Towering spikes of ice erupted from the frozen ground beneath, breaking outwards in a myriad of branches like a forest held forever still in Winter's cold grasp.

It was beautiful, made more so by the sweet and yet harsh golden glare of the rising sun.

That made it no less dangerous considering the fact that each branch was sharper than most swords and was heading towards him faster than most trained ayashi could strike.

Tsukune gulped for a second before he remembered who and what he was. He called on his youki and wrapped it around his fists. He didn't even pray for it to succeed; he'd _make_ it so. His instincts told him to put his will into the act, his hunger and need into the actions that mimicked Tsurara's own. His fist met the ground in an imitation of Tsurara's attack and enough force to create a small seismic quake to crack the earth in her direction.

Little did he realize his power had got the attention he was so desperately trying to avoid.

Except for one snow girl's.

* * *

Hutaro Mizore felt the shift of the floor under her feet and it made her stop her fantastic trip down memory lane. Alert, her mind went instantly into a combative cue when she could hear fighting muffled by the wind just outside of her window.

Was someone peeking at her? Stalking her?

She blushed prettily at the romantic gesture.

Then she heard her mother's voice and all thoughts of love and romance went out with her reason.

"You will not get near my daughter!" Her mother had said.

Claws as thick as tree roots sprouted from her forearms to her fingers in shimmering diamond hard gauntlets.

"No, Mother," Mizore's inspected her creations critically, finding her work adequate to do what was needed, "it is I who will get close to him."

The other snow women were huddled close to each other worriedly. It was a false belief that all yuuka-onna were fighters and killers. While it was in their ability, majority of them were peaceful, serene women who wanted nothing more then to find a husband and enjoy the rest of their short lived lives as someone's wife and mother.

Out of the small pack, Mizore was the only one with any combative knowledge and experience.

"Stay here," She called out, raising her hand up in front of their door and sealing it away with a clear transparent wall of ice. "Should anything happen this will protect you. Don't lower it down for anything. Do you understand?"

The fearful women huddled close but nodded.

"Becareful!" One called out as she dashed outside in her elegant Yukata and sandals to help her mother.

* * *

The frozen forest was destroyed by wave after wave of raw power, breaking the ice into multiple pieces and creating a scene of chaos that chilled the already-cold heart of Tsurara. She knew what the one standing against her was; some kind of Vampire, a Super Vampire as strong if not stronger than Akashiya Moka. Her most powerful ice creations, those she had just conjured up would be ineffective, and have been so over and over again.

Glowing red reptilian eyes glared at the woman and it was only her love for her only daughter that gave her the strength to stand and fight.

Still, attacks like she had already used would be ineffective; missile weaponry was too slow to hit the agile male and ground-based attacks would be shattered easily. So, she turned to her trump card.

* * *

Being around his friends of sexual succubi and proudly bold vampires, perverted elder and junior witches, and not to forget the kidnapping baby crazy snow girls, Tsukune worried himself when he saw Tsurara's hands reach to undo her obi...

He should have known better then to let his guard down.

**TTTTHHHHIIIIIRRRSSSSTTTTYYYY...WWWWAAAAANNNTTT...HHHEEEEERRRR!**

Tsukune had been holding back, trying to use reason and passive defensive tactics to keep Tsurara at bay, but each time he wielded his power he was losing his grip on the 'him' that resided within.

When he realized what was being brought out to retake a stronger offensive to him, something instinctual told he if he wanted to survive he would have to.

Darkness spread across his face and arms, under the remains of what was his clothing.

**"Yyyyooooouuu...aaarrrreeee...mmmiiiinnnneeee..."**

While the voice was not his own, the results were what he hoped would matter.

* * *

Her hands loosened up her yukata, not much but enough to allow her hands to disappear under the folds of the cloth. When they withdrew, her instruder's countenance darkened with malicious retribution.

Whoever 'he' was, he was ready for her.

Suspended in her slender hands were a pair of guns, automatic pistols if he were to make a guess. Shirayuki Tsurara after all was a spy fan, she had learned to carry weapons with her at all times and conceal them under her clothes with nary a bulge. What made it more terrifying was not that they were guns, but the fact that because these guns fired shards of ice at bullet-speeds, they didn't need reloading; as long as Tsurara had power in her, she could keep firing without a break.

The consciousness of Tsukune didn't even bet she was an expert marksman; he already knew she was. That gleam in her eye meant nothing good.

Hissing at her in defiance, Tsukune's body was quickly forced to stop thinking and start dodging as a number of ice bullets were hailed his way. A keen of rage shattered the whistling air as Tsukune dashed behind the few frozen creations that weren't destroyed as he tried to think of a plan.

Tsurara wouldn't give him the time, she leapt from the side, her guns already aimed towards him and he was forced to abandon his hiding place in favor of dodging.

The snow woman wasn't an ace in shooting for nothing, including hyper directional and agile vampires. The Yukka-onna gun wielder still managed to hit him and the snow spikes were lodged into his calf, causing him more pain than just the piercing of his flesh when they began to melt. Applying pure water on an open wound _hurt_.

Electricity lit the night as his youkai flared.

Tsukune's own voice cursed and then bit back a few select words as he pulled out the shard. His primal rage becoming dangerous, so much so he see red. He bounded, darting off trees, zig zaging over snow dunes and then up, skimming the snow like the hunter of night he was.

Her own hands were too slow to take a practical bead on him, so she opened fire in his general direction, ensuring the village proper was behind her so none of her blind shots would strike any of her own people.

That had been her undoing.

Catching her from behind, his hand was speared to strike through her when Tsukune's own mental cry and will clenched his fingers into a fist, punching Tsurara hard enough to break her proud eyed posture. He was quite surprised when the woman's eyes widened and a massive force slammed into her stomach, tossing her away like a ragdoll.

Before the wounded woman had time to recover her bearings from rolling around the frozen ground, she found a hand wrapped around her neck, pushing her back to a wall. Behind that hand was a shrouded face and two burning eyes.

Before she could say a word, Tsukune ravaged her neck in need to sate his hunger that had been driving him near mad.

"Aaaah!" Tsurara screamed as her pristine skin bleed into her yukata, staining the valley of her almost exposed breasts to the world.

It was so painful, so utterly animalistically brutal that she tried to conjure a wall of ice around herself to shield her body and encase herself, but with a snarl and her attackers hands digging into her shoulders and hair so deep they drew blood, she felt herself getting weaker...weaker...

"Don't...hurt...my daughter," She whispered into her predator's neck, but when she felt him pull away it was with a startling revelation. While the eyes, the body, the hair, and even the very structure of her soon to be murderer loomed menacingly over her, it was the 'X' shaped scar peeking from behind his shirt over his chest that made her remember who this person was peeking at her daughter.

His voice, while deeper and now thick with her blood coating his throat, was also familiar in a way to make her see error in her actions just done.

"Will you stop trying to kill me Tsurara? I didn't come here to hurt your daughter! I came to give her something I... I should have given her a long time ago!"

Now the woman felt nostalgia hit her as the powerful creature over her came into focus. Confronted with the intruder's face up close, she could really begin picking out the tell-tale signs of his identity.

Her breath hitched on her throat, she recognized that boy from the so important past of her daughters broken present! "You're-!"

She didn't get to finish that because the man had to dodge a spear of ice, this time sent by another yuki-onna, a younger and yet far more terrifying one than the one he had just fought.

Her blue hair and aquamarine eyes gave her away even though she had grown older than the last time he had seen her.

Hutaro Mizore.

And she looked positively incensed. Apparently, like her mother before hand, she didn't recognize him at all. Considering how things appeared at the moment, with him hovering over her mother with blood dripping from his lips and a gaping wound at her mother's neck, the matron of the attacking daughter seemed helpless and moments from death.

Her daughter appeared absolutely volcanic on a continental gauge.

Or, and here Tsukune's thoughts took a painful turn, she _did_ recognize him and decided to hate him with all of her might.

Could everything he thought he heard wrong and she was, in fact, angry with him on this scale? There was no time to ask when she shrieked at him, "Coming here this day... attacking my home... hurting my mother... You will know the power of Yukka Onaa! Die!"

Tsukune barely missed the raking claw as they gouged the earth he was standing on.

To his relief, he found that she didn't recognize him gave him some comfort.

Placing herself between her mother and Tsukune, the once human now vampire couldn't help but feel drawn again to the girl he had wanted to touch and make love to those many years ago.

"An angel..." He spoke reverently, seeking her flashing eyes and flutter of her yukata reveal those slender thighs and heaving breasts.

An Angel Of Wrath, he would soon see, he realized too late.

Tsurara tried to warn her daughter about the mistake she was doing, but then she reconsidered; the brat had hurt her daughter so much with his indecisive actions back then. Feeling her neck and the wound that had opened her veins was now closing, it would do to let her daughter and Tsukune figure out in their own ways what was to be if there was anything to be done.

Well, there would ever be fireworks after these two were done and he was sincere about giving her what she had deserved those many years ago.

The pair didn't see her graceful recovery or even paid attention to the now-smirking woman. Instead they were busy fighting; one for the protection of her people and the other for his life...

...again.

Dodging under a slash, Tsukune was quickly forced to leap after the follow-up from Mizore's spinning claws. Just as he thought he was out of the woods of one battle, he was pushed into another.

Try as he might to use his superior speed and get around her, she was attacking again in a matter he couldn't help but praise her for.

A snake of ice struck him in the chest, bleeding him painfully and adding another scar to his collection once and 'if' it was healed.

Correction, Mizore had made a tail of ice erupt from her tailbone, probably in imitation of her best friend Kurumu. Tsukune had to admit, it made her an even more dangerous opponent than before.

She had covered her blind side.

Deciding to use his speed as a form of leverage, the snow angel in front of him anticipated it before he could react.

Frozen wings, three pairs to be exact, erupt from her shoulder blades, giving her an even greater mobility advantage than she had yet also enabling her to protect her flanks. As if being extremely flexible, quick, using claws quickly and shooting ice at will wasn't enough, now she was encased with an armor and wings of spearing feathers she knew she copied from another familiar friend.

Toujou Ruby.

Tsukune at that moment scoffed at the idiot who gave a low rank on the snow people; their natural skills might not rival a vampire, but if they trained enough...

And Mizore _had_. She had trained and fought and become a warrior that could put an Ayashi several ranks higher than her on the run.

Tsukune dodged again and again, not striking back for more reason than just not wanting to hurt Mizore. The girl flowed in her attacks like water, shifting her pattern and even weapons at a moment's notice, preventing the vampire from finding a pattern or beat he could adjust to and launch a counter attack.

When her ice formed a pair of glaives, he knew he had to fight back or he was going to be dead for real this time.

With a practiced dodge, he slipped next to the piercing blades, allowing it to graze his abdomen as he moved into Mizore's personal space. This had the effect of neutralizing her current weapons as they were too large for her to use in close quarters.

Her wings wrapped around herself to encase him and that worried him to no end.

Spears elongated themselves and he suddenly felt as if he was in the dreaded device known as the iron maiden.

Instincts told him to express his youkai or be impaled, and he did.

A pillar of power rose to the heavens in a reddish fire of energy, knocking Mizore's ice weapons and wings off of her like glitter dust. With a wail of frustration and rage, she willed herself to fight this onslaught, but strong arms grabbed her arms and embraced her...

...intimately.

"Mizore-chan, please, don't fight me. I beg you."

Her flailing stopped and her large aqua eyes took him in for the first time, up close and painfully apologetic.

Even with her mother's blood on his lips, the unrecognizable bend of his brows and curious streaks of black marring his face, it was the him she had missed, had longed for as much as her friends had.

He was there...somewhere.

"Tsukune...kun?"

Her voice was so small, like a little girl's who had to relive her own feelings that had been unrequited for so very long.

It made every part of him that had wanted to protect her, protect all of his friends come rushing through him in a way he had forgotten.

But never again.

Mizore's eyes widened when she realized just how _familiar_ that face was and how much she missed him, but her thoughts were stopped when his lips touched her own in a passionate kiss.

Passionate was too weak of a word.

He offered healing, offered love, giving time and emotions that he had been neglectful and remiss to her attempts to give him the most intimate of promises and binding of flesh that her tribe, her people, her heart was offering so easily.

All he had to do was take it.

And he did.

This kiss, this sealing of promises so long neglected was repaid and was done so greedily, taking from her like a man starving and famished giving a buffet to gluttonly taken from.

"You've...come for me?" Was her weak apology, but before he could answer there was a noise.

A buzzing.

"Over there!"

The boundary wardens were alive with activity, swarming close as the snow mobile engines got closer.

"Quickly, Tsukune-kun! Come with me!"

Mizore pulled at Tsukune's clawed hand and began to rush past her mother to the street, but she stopped by her very own mother.

"No, Mizore-chan." Was her mother's strict command.

"But, Haha, This is Tsukune-!" Mizore looked about as rebellious as she ever did, holding onto Tsukune's hand as possessively as her precious children.

"What I mean is," Tsurara's normally stoic expression softened, even with the crimson trail of blood stopping between her breasts. "Not there,"

She pointed towards the building her daughter had just came from. "There."

Embracing her mother, Tsukune and Tsurara shared a simple look that spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." his said.

"Hurt her again and I'll slaughter you where you sleep." was her's.

Tsukune was sure her promise was ten times more potent then his.

The matron snow woman watched as the two disappeared around the corner of the building with the door slamming soundly behind them.

Tsurara smiled. If her womanly intuition was right, then Mizore would be walking bow-legged the next time she saw her.

Boundary Wardens appeared with their weapons caring very live ammo meant to kill unholstered and ready.

"Which way did it go?" They called out to Tsurara.

Feigning pain, Tsurara oh so weakly called out, "I think he went to the bus station! He is seeking blood!"

"You heard her! Move out!"

In a flurry of snow powder, they raced off to cordon the only transportation station the village had.

"That should keep Gin away for some time," Tsurara huffed as she examined the undone front of her yukata, now ruined with her blood and vampire saliva.

Blushing, she couldn't help but 'feel' Tsukune's raw hunger when he took her like he had. It was gloriously forceful and demanding. Glancing back in the building where her daughter and the man of her past went to make up in ways that were needed to heal old wounds.

Humming with a little bit of a spring in her step, she decided to sit at the steps of the maiden's hall, keeping a protective vigil on her family and ensure that 'some' privacy was entrusted.

A chorus of cries from inside the housing made Tsurara blush guiltily. Those poor girls weren't ready for the likes of Tsukune, she was sure of it.

"I'm so jealous of you, my daughter. So jealous..."


	9. Ch 9 Goodbye Moka

Take What Is Yours Ch 9

His blood was on fire.

All he could think about was how badly he wanted her. How badly he needed this. He'd come here with only the best, only the noblest intentions. He'd wanted to give her the child she'd asked him for so many times. He'd wanted to save her from Gin. He'd wanted to give her that magical experience that could have been on that night on the field of flowers.

Just like always he'd set out with someone else's needs firmly in mind.

Somewhere along the way though he'd lost all those silly ideals. Maybe it was when he'd first felt the hunger start to overwhelm him. Maybe it was when he was forced to fight Tsurara. Maybe it was at that moment when he drank her blood and felt the simple pleasure of satisfying a gnawing hunger, or maybe it was the moment he'd touched her again; the feeling of Mizore's flesh against his. The scent of her, the look of amazement and hope that was in her eyes.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but right now all that mattered to him was _his _need. He wasn't asking, he was taking. Right this moment Mizore was his.

With the slamming of the door behind him, Tsukune could feel himself start to fall into a sweet oblivion he had been denied those many years ago. There had always been Moka and she was more then willing to give and accept affections that were missing in his normally hormonal male needs from his teenage years to his adulthood when they became mates.

This time, though, was different. Just like then…

* * *

"Tsukune, what are you-mph!" Mizore had barely a chance to breathe when she felt him on her.

No, not on her like a lover, but almost like an attacker.

Her lips parted for his, a strong hand around her back taking her, pulling her to him bodily, possessively. Through sheer force, through will, through want and need, they tasted the other in a kiss that seemed to pull the very life from her…

…and she gave it willingly, thankfully.

"Aaah!" Mizore cried out in confusion and want, but her body slammed against a wall, something cold.

Ice? Inside the building of Maiden's Hall? When did that get in there and how?

_That's right,_ she recalled. _I used it to protect the others._

Gravelly and thick, he growled a promise that reflected in eyes that were once the softest honey brown were now slitted, red, and hungry, so famishly devoid of sustenance that it appeared as if his emotional survival depended on it.

Was this monstrosity before her Tsukune's vampire form? It appeared less…elegant and cumbersome.

At least, she thought it did. She couldn't get her thoughts in order, her hands that would have been gently seeking Tsukune or attempting to pull him away to have a baby in the most docile of ways back then were now keeping him at bay so she could try to think, try to understand.

The first set of questions that came to mind were, "Why are you here? Where's Moka?"

Mizore saw his thick crown of his brow bunch, his breath even out from the delirious near pant to the smooth, controlled exhale out of his solemn lips. His mood shifted so suddenly, so carefully controlled she knew he was making an effort to put his own emotions in order to his less then ceremonious invitation to her.

"Tsukune?" A soft, cool finger touched his face and he seemed to shift before her eyes.

As if deliberately changing, reshaping himself into less of the predator and into the man she had met those many years ago, Hutaro Mizore mentally remembered him more like this .

Silver hair, dark knowing red eyes, pale, moon kissed skin.

And that smile.

He was smiling at her, just her.

No other girl was there and he was almost beyond control to see her. No Moka, no other vampire or teasing succubi, witches or other sort of monster coming to claim him…

Wait, claim him?

"Mizore-chan," Like purring velvet, his voice soothed every worry, bringing her conscious back to the here and now. "Don't think bad of me."

"Tsukune, I…I don't understand."

"Good," his pointed canines did something she has rarely seen a vampire do. They blunted. "Because I don't want to think or remember anything about anyone else. Right here, right now, it is only important that I keep my word."

"But-"

"And I intend to keep that promise I was never able to voice to you, back in the field of snow flowers, back then, so many years ago and have neglected to repay. I have been a horrible friend to you. Could you ever forgive me?" A lightly clawed hand caressed her cheek, his nose inhaled her scent right under her ear.

She never felt this warm and shivered at the same time. Even when she was with Siiko…

Siiko…

"No!" Mizore pushed at Tsukune's shoulders and saw real worry and shame etched in her face. "I can't!"

* * *

With those words, a certain reality set in for Tsukune. Here he was, ready to just take and yet, greedily, he didn't even bother to know if she was ready.

"I see," were his words as he began to peel away from her. "I have been selfish and thoughtless of your wants, Mizore-chan. I had figured when my name came up on the list of recipients you wanted a child from that you would be-"

Shaking her long, lavender locks, she covered her face with one hand and pulled at the low hem of her yakata. "No, Tsukune! It's not that. It's…it's…"

Just like before, there was fear, such uncomprehending fear in her words, in her eyes. Her whole body spasm'd with the torment of her unsaid confession.

"Tell me, Mizore-chan." His hands took her slender fingers away from her sad eyes and from the hem of her very elegant robe.

She wouldn't open her eyes. Frustration, long seeded anxiety and torment were cracking to be released and then, when she felt his breath hum over her own lips, it came out like a dam bursting.

"I'm no longer pure for your!"

With her admission, she turned her head away from him, looking as if she was tainted and repulsive; a creature that wasn't deserving of his affection.

"Mizore-chan?"

"Don't you see, Tsukune?" She rose her left hand to his eyes, the simple and inelegant gold band over her ring finger. "I'm married! I've…I've had children…three of them."

Slender fingers cupped low over her belly.

"My womb has been used and…and I've had another man's seed in me. Several times, I've …I've been ruined. How could you even want to touch me or…or do these things that…man and wife have done to create children when it wasn't you?"

Whatever she expected from him, was not the current expression of a man rejecting her.

If anything he looked consolidating. "You are as beautiful now as you were that night, Mizore-chan."

"But-"

He didn't give her a chance to answer. A kiss, swift, powerful, and searing consumed her, drank her worries and confusions with his heated want. When she could breathe, it his eyes, predator, dominating, withholding male sexual hunger that was bated and on the cusp of release...

Though, he held himself back...

...barely...barely restrained...

For her.

She realized it and was humbled.

"I've never wanted to be with anyone else," Tsukune snarled into the room, bringing fear to the spectating maidens in the room close by, "other then Moka, Mizore. I was with one other woman, against my will, but never anyone else of my own choice.I...I understand but...right now, I need to know if...if you'll have me."

He was so startlingly honest, so remarkably close to the brink that she could see, after all these years, that he finally understood what it was like to have a snow maiden's heart for their beloved.

This was right.

This was their bond and...

"Tsukune..."

Her hands undid the simple knot of her obi and her yukata fell open, hanging limply off her dainty shoulders.

...they would create life.

"...take me."

* * *

More accurate words could not have been spoken.

_Take me._

For some debilitating moment, he thought back to that time Moka took Gin, by hand and said something similar.

_Let's go, Gin._

Tsukune's breath hissed through his teeth, memories flooded back to that night, those sounds, that..._smell. _During the trial, she had confessed to making love like beasts, licking and touching every intimate and private part to get back at him.

_…like beasts…_

She wasn't just a person, a woman with flawless body parts and warm soft breasts with soft pink lips and magenta pink hair…She was his love, his wife, his mate and so, so much more.

They had dreams together, intimate, passionate desires for themselves with the other.

In one night…

…a terrible, terrible night…

…it was gone.

No, Tsukune would never forget that feeling of being shredded, of being angry, of being scathingly outraged…but he simply walked away.

Looking at Mizore's gentle acceptance, surrendering to her invitation, he would do as she allowed, but not in a way that would take him gently into the world of a man who had carefree, easy, love making. If he was going to shatter his status of being with only one woman in his life that he loved, he was going to make a mark that would become legendary and rumored, spoken in reverence and awe…

_If they think they could make love like beasts,_ Tsukune thought with an unholy black hearted promise that he had been awaiting to give himself over to_, then they've never fucked like demons!_

The roar that escaped his lips rocked the walls of Maidn's Hall!

"Tsu…kune?" Mizore gasped when she saw he was looking at her with a savageness that brought fear to her snow maiden heart.

As well as it should.

Two feral claws reached out under her armpits and lifted her, like a parent to a child and raised her high, so high, and literally flipped her till her yukata fluttered like a dancer's cape, arching in a complete circle with her hair and her upper half was now her bottom half.

Mizore's unexpected aerobatic spin made her shriek, piercing the other maidens' nerves and emboldened Tsukune.

With one arm holding her spread legs part in front of his scowling lips, he took an indelicately long inhale of the crease of her white panties. Cleanly washed and yet holding the mild, feminine odor of a woman enticed, he lengthened his tongue from her belly and moaned as his mouth, his tongue, his whole orifice hungrily mouthed her up to her waistband.

* * *

Upside down and shivering, Mizore gripped at his legs and tried to breathe…

…just breathe…

When her eyes peeked open and she felt his strong, calloused fingers grip her hip and his mouth get closer to that part of her that has only been explored by a man who didn't love her and used only for the process of making babies, she gasped when she felt Tsukune's teeth rip her panties to shreds.

The cool air wafted over her delicate, moon kissed white skin of her labia and the lavender tinted pubic hair.

Tsukune's moist, damp sighs excited her dark shaded slit, still prettily small and neat.

Mizore couldn't even think of what to do with her self but hold on, her silky white legs spread indecently wide and her friend in which she felt shared her loneliness and understood her weakness was now staring at her in her most vulnerable state.

The snow girl was almost drunk with anticipation.

In front of her, eyes now fully open, he stood fabulously erect behind his pants.

"Mizore," He called out to her.

Another puff of heated breath wafted over her bare womanhood.

She trembled.

"Release me."

"H-hai…Tsukune."

She reached over and unbuttoned what was left of his torn clothes, pulled up (for her) on his zipper and let fall the pants around his ankles.

Before her, in all his thick, proud glory, was a member as strong, as hard, and as intimidating as she could ever imagine. The circumcised tip was curved up, glistening with precum around its ruddy, rubbery crown.

Sex with her husband had never been this adventurous.

Ever.

Actually, all she could think about was how 'not' this man before her wasn't her husband and, in a weird, unexplainable way, wasn't Tsukune either.

His lips sealed over her pussy and she moaned with a voice she couldn't believe was her own either.

The only thing she could even instinctively do is think of how she could return the favor.

* * *

Savory.

Oh, how he savored her taste. He had been with Moka and Ria, but he never wanted either of them like this. With Ria he was forced and, as much as he wanted to deny it, she had been a forceful, demanding lover that cared nothing about his pride or pleasing him for the sake of pleasure. Sekitan Ria's purpose that day was just to humiliate and mock.

Moka's, both of them, were as different as two people could be.

Outer Moka was a gentle lover, giving easily into the simple touches and kisses, slow and easy lovemaking a person could enjoy for the sake of ensuring a bonding that was wrapped in intimacy.

Inner Moka liked to control. She was an aggressive, dominating lover that sought out her pleasures quickly, not waiting for slow and casual foreplay or eroticism.

In the back of Tsukune's mind, he wondered if any of the three women would be impressed with him now.

A soft spoken word murmured between his legs and he was reminded that he had a very willing participant in this sexual interlude.

"Itadakimasu."

Cool, smooth lips and a velvety tongue found the head of his cock and hands, dainty and slender wrapped around his member, cupping him and moving with a controlled swallow.

_Dear God!_

He had always thought that Mizore sucking on a lollipop was an adorable girlish trait that radiated a simple innocence, but he couldn't help but feel the expert slide of her tongue, the knowing way she hummed and salivated along the thick shaft of his dick corrupted that image forever in his mind.

And her scent!

It was so mild, so subtly feminine…

The lengthy tongue rolled around her and plunged deep into her lukewarm heat…

Her moans around his throbbing member encouraged him to do more.

He did. Oh, did Tsukune do more.

* * *

Uncomfortable shyness, misguided fumblings, and awkward kisses and uncertain touches. She was sure she would have to be the one to take the lead and show him what to do. He would be gentle and clueless and she would take his virginity as he took hers.

It would be beautiful, pure, and innocent.

Back then, it was all she could do to be knowingly gentle and patient with the boy who was as inexperienced with sex as he was with confrontations. She couldn't be so far from the reality she was enduring now. There was nothing shy or innocent about him. She had never expected that she would be the one taken by surprise. The Tsukune before her was ravaging, consuming, and deliberately confident with her and the way her and his body worked...

"Mmmmmmrrrph!" Mizore croaked around his thick member when he felt her ass and body flatten against the ice behind her. The slick wet plane of ice behind her was cool to her bare skin, a welcoming sensation to her but burning to others.

...if anything, he was being outright brutal.

All she could think about as the room danced about her eyes, dizzying her thoughts and stars starting to spot her vision...

"Urk! Urk! Urk! Urk!" Gagging violently with each punishing thrust of his cock to her parted lips, she only had one logical thought as she continued to endure this abuse...

...this was _not_ the Tsukune she remembered at all.

* * *

Tsukune wasn't in the mood for delicate romance or tender caresses. He wanted to fuck. He was going to take this night and get revenge the only way he could. Through sex. The body sucking him, taking his dick into her warmth wasn't Moka this time...

...no, it wasn't.

Mizore? Mizore-chan? Was it her?

It didn't matter. He needed to purge himself of his fidelity to Moka and if it meant taking it out on his friend who was more then his willing partner or...

His eyes snapped towards the plane of ice behind his inverted partner.

...others. Then what would it matter? Numbers of bodies pierced by him, fucked by him, sighing and crying out his because of him.

After this night, whatever ridiculous self conscious hopes he had in the back of his mind that his love for Moka might still remain were deliberately ruined by him. Deliberately, his fidelity in body and mind to be with Moka would be ripped from him.

It was time.

"Mrrrphffaaaah!" Mizore choked around him down there, thick ribbons of saliva fell down towards her cheeks and over her eyes. He was fucking her mouth, her head banged hard against the ice, and the waving ripples of her hair as he continued to push himself deeper and deeper up her throat.

_This wasn't enough._

His mouth smothered over her puckering crease between her legs as she kicked wildly to try to get some control to him. Her nails dug into his thighs and she couldn't breathe as he pushed deeper and deeper up past her gag reflex.

He forced it into her.

Behind the thick layer of glass, a dozen or so pupilless eyes gawked in horror as he continued to face rape her.

It made him grin.

Why? He didn't know, but it did.

**DDDdddddoooooo…..mmmmmmooooooorrrreeeee…**

The tiny pearl of her clit throbbed against his tongue and he pressed hard against it with his tongue.

"MMMrmrrr!" She wailed again, her back arching at the virgin scraping of his tongue against her sensitive gem.

Moisture and nectar fell down around her hips, glistening fluids of arousal left trickling droplets bead around quivering thighs.

She came.

"MMMMMMMNNNNNNNPPPHHHHRRRRMMMM!"

The skin around her thighs flushed a blotchy, ruddy red. When he pulled his mouth away from her sparklingly wet crevice, her opening flared a deep scarlet that made him grow harder inside her dainty, gurgling mouth.

Red vampiric eyes took in the fearful countenances of the other maidens and grinned. His lips parted and his tongue lengthened to poke at her clit, rolling it and rolling it…His hips shifted into a gyration, corkscrewing his cock into Mizore's mouth as she protested again with a slap on his thighs.

It was time.

With one hand wrapped around her ankle, he lifted her easily as one would clothes from a hanger for inspection. In a salivating reflex, Mizore's mouth unsheathed itself around Tsukune's cock, letting the sheer weight of it relax from the teeth of her bottom jaw.

When it was finally cleared, she gasped and choked, her eyes pinched as the coughs followed and didn't abide for moments.

Looking at the floor, her world again went right side up and her face was planted against the slick ice roughly, cutting her cheek.

"Ts-Tsukune! Why are you doing this to me? You don't have to be so rough!"

* * *

He couldn't hear her.

Tsukune's mind was back to that night with the sounds of clothes being removed, kisses and breathes being shared and then those noises on the bed...those springs squeaking with that very first thrust...

* * *

Her feet hadn't touched the floor. Toes pointed, she tried to feel for the foundation of earth under her, something solid, but she had been pinned bodily and, from behind...

Tsukune spoke so quietly, so honestly reverently with ache that made her wonder what in the world could have happened to her friend and his wife.

"Good bye, Moka."

...he stabbed her to the upper walls of her womb.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" Mizore's cry was as much a physical impaling as it was for Tsukune doing the thrust.

"It's done," Was all he said.

At least she thought so. Now, was not the time to think of such things.

Bleeding nectar and lubricating fluids shimmered around his stretched girth, Tsukune pierced her so high and deep that she was actually balanced against the wall of ice and suspended on his dick.

The snow maidens watching gasped in fright.

Nuzzling the side of her face not pressed against the created barrier to protect her maiden friends, she felt the heavy wall nearly crush her as her demon lover's body heaved himself into her so hard she was sure he was trying to bring himself out of her throat.

The sheer force from the inside made her scream hoarsely for the first time.

He wasn't grunting, he was roaring as he pounded her from behind.

"Rrraauggh! Rrraauggh! Rrraauggh! Rrraauggh!" Tsukune's barbaric and savage plowing of Mizore's lithe frame was entangled even more when one thick clawed hand grabbed the back of her hair into a twisted fist and the other hooked around her cheek, twisting her bodily, painfully torqued till she was facing him, parting her lips to scream but sealed with a consuming kiss.

On the other side of the ice, the maids could feel the fleshly slaps of their ice maiden ravaged soundly against the ice, her breasts flattening to circular globes and then fall way. The process was repeated again and again and again…

Mizore's muffled scream drowned in their throats as Tsukune fucked her flush against the ice.

It cracked.

"Hhhhaaaaa!" she cried as she fell freely and landing painfully into the floor.

Crash!

Tsukune's plowing thrusts were so hard that the opposing wall mashing Mizore against her demon lover shattered, making ice blocks scatter in sliding miniature bolder sized debris.

The red eye'd demon lover landed flush against Mizore's ass, both hands gripping her flawless skin at her hips and thrusted his thick prick inside of her so deep her tongue came out as if forced.

Her pupiless eyes bulged as she screamed in delirium.

"RRRrrrraaaaaagggghhhh!"

These weren't deep, punishing stabs, but a constant flex of hip pounding her from behind, her body twisting in ripples with his thick frame ramming his hips across the back of her soft pale ass.

"You don't have to take me like this! It...It hurts, Tsukune!" Mizore's hand and legs blindly tried to claw and kick away from Tsukune. Her normally serene face twisted fearfully as she reached out and was able to escape from Tsukune.

Her freedom was momentary, to grab the nearest body trying to scamper away from her but, alas, the girl was not quick enough.

A nameless face, a warm, clothed body was soon trapped in Mizore's embrace as she fearfully tried to push away from her ravaging lover and seek shelter through her involuntary buffer. Fear marred the other girl's beautiful countenance as she felt Mizore's pants on her neck. Tsukune didn't care that Mizore had involved another, but it did take his inhuman eyes away from the body he was mindlessly hammering away at to lock them on this unintended guest.

A toothy, promising grin made the girl quaver in fear.

She was next.

"Too much! Please, be gentle with me, Tsukune!" Mizore cried, her voice muffled into the other's girls breasts, all the while taking such inhuman and monstrous digging of her delicate woman parts...

...again...again...again!

Tsukune was deaf to her pleas as he looked down, hissing his pants through clenched teeth as he continued to dominate the dainty slip of a girl. Push, push, push, push...

..and then **HEAVE!**

Mizore's unwilling partner shared her lock limbed astonishment as Tsukune, the most humble, forgiving, caring, and soft spoken person who she had loved brutalized her and just filled her womb to bursting.

When her body reached the mutual unintended rapture, a wordless, soundless scream kept her eyes shut and her mouth open.

There was no expression accurate enough to detail what she was feeling.

The lava like heat of his seed flowing through her like paralyzing euphoria. Hutaro Mizore collapsed where she was, her knees awkwardly holding up off to the side with her face buried into the bunched front of a girl who was one of a dozen.

Like Hutaro Mizore, she, too, was looking to have a baby.

It should have been enough, Tsukune thought to himself.

**...wwwwwaaaannnntttt...mmmmmooooorrrrreeeee...**

Yes, he had done what he came here to do. His friend was sure to be filled thick with his seed to complete her needs for the Village. If she wasn't, he would come back...

...eagerly.

Gasping like a fish, Mizore had only enough strength to keep a part of her face staring at her beloved friend and ask, "What...happened...to...you...Tsu...Tsu..?"

In a gesture that was didn't reflect the last few moments, Tsukune reached down to her ear and whispered with a caress she was sure lost to him, "I will answer your questions in time, Mizore-chan, because, right now, none of it simply matters."

He kissed her cheeks...

As much as he felt he had done what was needed to put Moka behind him, give Mizore a child, there was still a lot of anger, a lot of pent up rage, and the need for revenge had yet been sated. The slight striped pantie peeking from under her yukata was doing wonders to his still painfully erect penis.

...and turned to the maiden who's large green blue eyes were staring back at him in wonder and nervousness.

"But I have something I have to do."

Craning his head to all the women staring at him in a mix of wonder and fear, the scent of a room filled with their pheromones made him chuckle in delight.

"Please think well of me, Mizore-chan. I promise you, everything will have it's answer. Rest well, I promise to come back to you soon."

She would have loved to protest right now, but everything ached. It ached and it hurt, her thighs were sticky down to her knees. Part of her face was spotted when he rubbed it harshly against the wall of ice. Certain muscles in her back were surely pulled or hyper extended, her hips were screaming from being torqued at such odd angles and she was positive there was an ointment that would be needed once she was able to walk again.

And oh by the Priestess did her throat hurt.

It was all too much and Hutaro Mizore could do all that she could.

Nod and fall asleep where she lay.

Though he had not asked for it, she forgave him. Mizore knew that when the time came, her friend would explain himself and would ask of it.

* * *

The young snow maiden next to Tsukune saw him carefully cradle his adventurous partner to the side, cover her with a lover's caress to her cheek, and spear her with a look that promised an attentive session of rough marathon of sexual indiscretion that would leave her dizzy and mentally clouded for hours on end.

"My name is Kitihi. W-would you accept me as your partner tonight?"

Tsukune only nodded and dove towards her, quieting her nervous wail with a kiss.

* * *

_**Hours later...**_

Tsurara had left when other wardens asked about the description of the attacker. It had taken several trips to convince them to hold Gin at the bus stop until things were resolved. She expected her daughter to be pleasantly exhausted and lying in the arms of her beloved. Tsurara would get Tsukune safely away and then permit Gin to carry on with the other maidens who were still waiting for him.

She was sure he would try to charm a couple of the young, fertile mother's to be and one or two may seek him out in his personal conquests to brag about later.

Mizore's mother was therefore taken by surprise when she entered the Maiden's Hall. There lying all over the cold stone floor were a dozen young yukka-onna maidens groaning and barely stirring. Their clothes were all in tatter and a few of them appeared wounded. It was almost like a scene from a battlefield. Some were cluttered in pairs, holding onto the other as if in panic or fear, delight or just comfort.

All of them, Mizore included, were panting in amorous rapture.

Only a single figure was standing upright.

There was Tsukune; unapologetically naked and _drenched _in sweat. He was breathing heavily and looked a bit dazed. Yukki-onna were not famed for their sense of smell but even Tsurara couild pick up the heavy combination of sexual musk and intimate fluids. Another thing that caught Tsurara's mind was that this was something that succubi were built for, not her sisters of the snow.

Yukki-onna were fragile creatures, with slender bodies and delicate bone structures.

This was out of a scene for lush bodied succbus, and it made her unconsciously think of her rival Aghea.

_She'd be so proud..._

His daughter's friend was still erect, hard and the hair surrounding it matted down; glistening like polished silver.

"Tsukune! What did you do?" From what Mizore had always told him he was a very quiet and polite boy. Approaching him, and not knowing why she was being so impetuous , with her question, she was not surprised when the sound of her approach made his head to snap up and notice her. His red slitted eyes took her in, not with the look of a friend or the respect she had seen in him those few times they had met, but of a hungry predator.

"Tsurara, Ka-san," he growled softly in a low, sensual voice that made her shiver with his suggestive baritone. "This is a gloriously wonderful night, isn't it?"

Reaching his hand out to her, in a silent but very real offer, he spoke in a matter that was both casual and bold, "I am more then ready to dance with you."

Tsurara was an experienced woman and it made her pale even more when his body language suggested she be his next conquest. Her jaw dropped in shock and amazement.

_He couldn't be! I'm Mizore's mother! _

She didn't move or try to fight like she had earlier. Partly that was sheer disbelief of what was about to happen and partially due to… excitement. He looked like such a wild beast and all the girls lying on the floor reeked of sexual satisfaction.

It would be her own rival's fault that made her know that such animalistic adventures existed. She had always been just a bit curious; and now this unique opportunity was being presented to her. There was always a wise answer or rebuttal at the tips of her lips, but all she could do is hide her hand from his with a bit of fear.

As he approached her, her wits returned long enough to mutter one short protest. "Tsukune we can't! What would we tell Mizore? My husband? Her father?"

"Tell her you didn't have a choice and I made you. By the way, will you make the same face as Mizore did when I felt her body shiver around me, Tsurara-chan?"

Unable to speak at such blatant suggestions and bold questions, her breath caught in her throat when he reached behind her and pulled the fine wooden sticks from her hair, making it cascade over her shoulders.

Before him, a porcelain doll equivalent of an older and more mature Mizore existed.

"An angel...you and your daughter are angels, Tsurara-chan."

Flattery never pierced Tsurara's regal facade, but the way he touched her, looked at her, seemed ready to devour her.

Looking around, she hated herself.

"And you are a beast, Tsukune." She was able to say before his lips fell on her and pulled her through the door.

Maiden's Hall had weird, curious sounds rebounding inside of its walls, including sounds of their last yukki onna enjoying lovemaking she never knew existed.

There would be a lot to answer to.


	10. Ch 10 Three Simple Words

Take What Is Yours

Ch 10 Three Simple Words

Aono Tsukune had never felt as sated or as satisfied as he did waking up that moment.

This moment was something he would have assumed what cats enjoyed after gorging themselves on milk and several canaries while enjoying a long nap in a padded chair by the fireplace. Slowly getting to his feet, he felt his bones pop back into place and tendons stretched out as he yawned. Rested, he felt whole and more at peace than he had in a long while.

Then he looked around.

Everywhere his eyes turned there were beautiful women lying there on the stone floor. It was something straight out of a historical depiction of a roman orgy or a porn flick for modern times. Like some kind of aftermath reality show of eroticism brought to life, everywhere he looked was a writhing testament to his virility and talents as a man. Here, there, and all about were women of breath taking beauty in all manner of undress laying crumpled with bewildered yet satisfied expressions on their flawless faces.

He had done this.

Snow Maidens, Yukki-onna, were panting or sighing as some still slept. They were creatures of legendary grace and beauty who had inspired Japanese poets and story tellers for countless generations. Each and every one of them was a priceless gem, and he'd had them. He'd consumed them one after the other, the way a hungry man might have gone through a gorging at a buffet after starving for years on end. They hadn't been people to him or individuals; they'd just been carnal toys: play things to satisfy his need for revenge. In one night, a dozen gorgeous women had all been his. It had been an experience most men would kill for, and very few would ever actually have. It was something Lord Akashiya experienced regularly, but that Tsukune had never thought or even wanted to happen to him.

Thinking back to his Academy days, _four _had seemed far too many and they were just very close friends at most.

He would like to say his darker inner voice had spurred him to act as such, but that would be a false hood. His desire was just to take Mizore, his friend, beloved, white as snow to the flower fields and give her a child, but his inner darkness was convincing and seductively whispered to him that he needed more, he deserved more, and…what was available to take was offered in abundance.

Who was he to deny them?

While the last bit of control was, ultimately, his, it had assured him that this was the reason they were here and that he was honoring them with not just a vampire's seed, but that of a friends to their people. They had come to this place for the sole purpose of becoming pregnant and he had ensured that each and every one of these fair maidens of the snow would carry his child.

Except for one.

Stirring at his feet a, winded voice from his last conquest spoke through a pair of bruised lips to catch his attention. "Tsukune…kun…"

Kneeling, he took Tsurara's hand into his own and traced his lips with her knuckles. "Yes, Tsurara-sama?"

Her elegant yukata was torn open at her front, barely held together at her waist by the loosened obi. The discarded panties were lying within hands reach. He vaguely remembered ripping them off with his bare hands, causing some chafe marks at her hip.

Beautiful smooth breasts were in plain view and he took an appreciative glance at them, then at the darker azure patch of pubic hair between her legs before focusing on her seeking gaze.

Oddly it was only now that he realized he was kneeling before her naked, and it made him self conscious.

Tsurara's eyes glanced down and her mouth twitched, as if to say that he had no problem being naked not so long ago.

"Still so formal with me, Tsukune-kun?" Tsurara's sly half smile and elegant voice reminded him of the first time they'd met. It had been at the cultural festival of the Academy during his first year. From the beginning he had thought her an elegant and graceful woman.

When he ravaged her she had maintained that statuesque image even through out her throes of ecstasy.

Reaching for the small pieces of underclothes with her fingers, dangling them between her and him, she teased him with a demure smile, "Really? I think it's safe to think we have evolved from you and I calling each other 'san', Tsukune-kun."

Tsukiune flinched.

That blatant and carefree honesty was a trait that Mizore shared with her mother and one that also reminded him of their first meeting.

"About that, I'm sorry." He mumbled. He spotted his clothes scattered on the floor behind him and hurriedly put them on.

Tsurara waited patiently as though this were somehow an ordinary event. When he was at last dressed, she spoke.

"Last night wasn't you. Was it, Tsukune?"

Tsukune shook his head looking shame faced.

"No it wasn't, Tsurara-chan."

He was reexamining the other snow maidens. There was even the tiniest bit of shock to see the results of his untold hours of play. There were bruises, scratches and even some blood. He really had just treated them all like his toys while using their purpose here for an excuse to be as relentless as possible to release his pent up aggressions.

That wasn't him. He had NEVER been the sort of man to just use people, especially women.

Yet… it had been him.

The details were fuzzy but he couldn't pretend he had given himself up completely. At some point last night, he had made the deliberate decision to just do as he pleased and not care about anything else. There were circumstances, but it _had_ been him.

"Why did you do this?" Tsurara asked simply. It was just a question with a gesture of her hand towards all of the female bodies about.

It was not a condemnation.

_Why did I_, he wondered. All he could think of was how much he'd wanted to sever the bonds he'd had with Moka.

At least, that was what his inner voice had told him. Everything had been offered to him on a silver platter, and he'd made the decision to take it without worrying about the consequences.

Opening his mouth, Tsukune had the reasons on the tip of his tongue to tell Tsurara about Moka's betrayal, about Gin's all too eager assistance, about those moments at the academy with Ruby and all the trials of putting his beloved Moka in the past and his decision to do what he could to help all of his friends in any way possible.

Yet…he kept quiet.

Mizore's soft panting was just a few yards to his right. The beautiful custom made yukata she was so proud of was now tangled into thread bare ribbons, just shredded and utterly ruined. One dainty slipper with its burgundy thick tie was untangled and discarded from her foot that was collapsed under her in an odd angled bend. The other was still on, but the straps were busted and it seemed curious as to how that could have remained on her foot.

Looking about, some of the other girls were in similar disarray. He hadn't been very patient last night.

"I needed to." Was the most honest answer he could think of.

Tsurara studied him for a long time, glancing at his left hand where a simple gold band was still present. On her own ring finger she wore one with a sapphire as was the custom among her people.

It was just like Mizore's.

While Tsukune had never witnessed a yukki onna wedding, he'd been told that there was no mention of fidelity or love. The vows instead focused on producing children and the responsibility of caring for them and their village.

The ceremony reflected the views of a race plagued by infertility and mired in a struggle against slow extinction.

Everyone who was paired off knew that, for the sake of their children, they would have to put up a civilized front and accept the hand delt to them. Yukki onna did not believe in divorce, individual happiness mattered little when set against the needs of the next generation. Most snow maidens endured their marriages as best they could for the sake of the children and the survival of their species.

Some of the pairing monsters they'd been forced to be bound to were less then desirable, like orcs, goblins, ogres, and other harbinger ayashi. Fortunately enough, if those male donors ever got out of hand enough to endanger the maiden or the children, then their life was forfeit.

A very lucky few managed to find love. Before they turned seventeen they were allowed to try and find their future husband. If a girl was fortunate enough to find someone she loved, would convince him with a formal invitation, kidnapping or freezing were considered acceptable, and brought to the village. The maidens who found their own husbands willing to give them a child without such measures taken and, even rarer still, where those men who would come seeking out a single yukki onna were the envy of every girl.

For the men being kidnapped or frozen was something of a mixed blessing.

They were very well treated but were essentially prisoners of the village and had no rights. They were given a beautiful wife and a home and all their wants were provided for. Their only responsibility was to be a proper husband and father. On the other hand they could never leave and never go home. Some of the men who were brought here by force were genuinely happy; others endured it as best they could.

A sparkling cage.

Tsurara had been one of those 'normal' snow women who didn't find love but was paired off with a snow boy who had been a decent friend to her in their past years at the Academy. Mizore had a chance and, for her, Tsukune had come of his own free will. With that in mind, he had also sought her out with a hunger she had never thought possible.

It was a story yukki-onna fairy tales were made of.

Leaning so knowingly close to her daughter's 'knight in shining armor', Tsurara would beat herself up for taking advantage of his invitation of lust, but in the meantime she decided not to not weigh his vague response. Instead, she chose to touch him and let him know it was enough and she enjoyed her time with him, however fleeting.

He was happy to see her, the mother. Those eyes of softest honey brown and the boy who had earned her daughter's trust was back with a vengeance.

While it had not been there hours ago, it was there now.

Did he regret his actions?

He returned her gesture with one of his own, a simple smile.

No, obviously not.

But there were still questions, and she could see he was troubled.

Aono Tsukune may have been gloriously sated, but he was not happy.

"She always felt guilty, Tsukune."

The young shinso vampire turned to his eldest snow maiden lover with his brow pinched.

"It's silly to say this, but she didn't enjoy being with her husband on her wedding night and she almost didn't want to hold her first child. I had to scold her some but she eventually let enough of you go in her own way to do what was needed. It was for the good of our people as well as herself, Tsukune."

Tsukune licked his lips and nodded. "I wish I had been there for her more. I have been very unfair to all of my friends, Tsurara-chan. I hope to fix what I can with what time I have."

Tilting her head at him, her mane of light lavender hair cascaded gorgeously to the side. "Tsukune, no one will fault you for following your own heart. Had you given Mizore a child back then, would you have left Moka for my little girl?"

His mouth moved but he really didn't know what to say. "Probably not, but I think she would have liked to have been closer with me. I think she deserved that."

Nodding at his honest response, Tsurara winced as she attempted to settle on her hip and face him.

"There is something you should know, Tsukune, because you will have a lot to answer for last night."

Looking around, he knew that was an understatement.

"We Yukki-onna are not happy with the way things are." Tsurara spoke past him, looking beyond her own years and through the eyes of her own people. "However, considering the circumstances we have no choice but to endure. Given our situation and its limitations we have a very short time to seek out our own happiness. For us the greater good must come before all else. For humans sacrificing yourself for the sake of love is a noble gesture. To us, Yukki onna, it's one selfishness; putting your own needs before those of all the others." Tsurara shrugged. "I suppose that's part of what makes us monsters in the eyes of humans."

Holding her hand, Tsukune sat next to her and was a little surprised to feel her lean against him.

It was cute if not a little weird.

This was still Mizore's mother.

"I don't see you as monsters."

"Don't lie, Tsukune," She chuckled and brought her finger to his lips to not speak. "From the day we've tried to kidnap you and with every failed attempt at Mizore's hands, there is no way you could possibly see what we do as normal. I've been to the human world longer then you've been alive. I can say with a certainty that your kind would see what we do as monstrous."

It was true, yet he couldn't help give her a shy lopsided grin.

"That's true," Tsukune admitted. "But remember I've had time to live in your world just as you have lived in mine." To reinforce this point he jangled the Rosario he wore on his right wrist. "I suppose if I had gone to a regular High School and had a regular life you, Mizore, and the others would all terrify me. I was lucky though; I got to meet all of you and under the bits and pieces of your world and your way. By doing this, I got the chance to live in a much larger world than I deserved. I think I'll take the good with the bad, Tsurara-chan. Even if I have almost lost my life more then I could count, I wouldn't take anything back."

Her pretty azure blue eyes sparkled and he couldn't help but lean forward towards her.

"Anything…"

And he kissed her.

It was the way she responded to him, the way her hand curled into the back of his hair and her eyes closed tight that, told him these would be cherished memories.

It made him happy.

When they parted there were signs of regret and understood acceptance.

"My people have a different moral code." She lifted her hand to show him her ring, "I am still bound to another. Mizore's father will know what has happened as well as Mizore's husband."

Nodding, Tsukune knew that they would but, simply didn't care.

A nettling thought was tickling the back of his mind.

"How will your husband take this and how will Mizore's?"

"Mizore may be able to get away with the Priestess's will being enforced to be intimate with you as well as these other maidens, Tsukune. I will not."

The mere thought he was about to break up a loving marriage came to mind and it almost made him sick.

"Tell him I forced you and you tried to stop me."

"I could," Tsurara's eyes squinted playfully, obviously considering how close to the truth it really was, "but we are not liars, Tsukune. You offered and I accepted, despite my better judgement. I do not expect you to become one who is used to making up false reasons when there isn't one. Please tell me you're not going to start that habit, are you?"

With that little bit of a scolding, he realized she had a point.

Tsurara decided it was time to look beyond her own selfish pleasures and move onto what was important.

"Go to my daughter, Tsukune."

"Tsurara-chan?"

"She has been pining for you for years and loves you, Tsukune. She will put the village's needs before her own, so I can tell you with all sincerity that if you were to leave and never come back it would be well within your rights, however," She took his hand and interlaced it with her own, "It would break my daughter's heart."

Tsukune shook his head. "That's why I came back, Tsurara-chan. I am not leaving any of my friends behind anymore. I was wrong to do that. I want to set things right."

Content with his answer, she gave him her best smile.

"I will look forward to seeing you again then, Tsukune."

Swallowing, he saw her eyes held a promise that seemed to surpass a normal maternal instinct.

"Uh, when you say 'seeing me again', how do you mean it?"

Eyes twinkling mischievously she kissed him light on his lips and whispered in his ear, her fingers turned to small ice claws and scratched his back enough to emphasize her words.

"How, indeed."

One more kiss, one more breath shared between improper company of mother to her daughter's intended lover and no words could express what they should or should not be feeling.

Tsurara decided to tidy up what was left to be with a few choice words. "It would probably be best if you left relatively soon, Tsukune. There will be a lot to answer to and a lot of husbands and other family members who won't be happy with you taking advantage of our ways like this. Also, I am not sure you are aware but we may have visitors soon and they won't take what you have done here lightly."

Tsukune blinked.

"Weren't all the girls here prepared to get pregnant?"

"Well of course," Tsurara told him with an obvious patience. "When it requires a special donor we bring them here to this medical facility where the 'donation' can be taken and the women implanted. Their appointment was supposed to be in about an hour or so. Of course, should someone wish to do it the old fashion way it is their choice."

"Implanted?" Tsukune said dully.

Tsurara shrugged. "We prefer things to happen naturally, but the snow maiden requires outside assistance then we make certain it succeeds through artificial insemination. The chances of pregnancy have been proven to be more affective and percentages of conception are greater."

"Wait!" Tsukune gripped Tsurara's arm and gawked at her, "Are you saying Gin and Mizore were never going to…"

He left what was understood unsaid.

"Of course not," Tsurara said, clucking her tongue at him as if scolding him. "My daughter's feelings for that mongrel are borderline hostile. Not to mention, she is married woman after all. Mind you, you were the exception. The only exception, Tsukune."

_Funny how the Snow Priestess left that little detail out. _Tsukune pondered, then, thinking down the road of another stray thought, he suddenly burst out laughing.

Tsurara was startled, but curiously tugged at his arm. "Tsukune?"

"Sorry, sorry," he wiped a tear from an eye, waving away her concern with his hand. "I just suddenly pictured Gin showing up here and being handed a naughty magazine and a plastic cup."

Tsurara folded her arms at him and clucked her tongue. She would hope her lover and daughter's future baby's father would view their ways with a bit more respect.

Realizing her scowl and disapproving raise of eyebrow, he apologized and decided to get back on topic of the snow maiden's present's family, friends, and lovers potential disapproval of his methods to produce offspring the old fashion way.

"I don't want to fight with any one of your people."

"As I said, Tsukune, not everyone will understand or accept what has happened. You have done your part, but that doesn't mean there won't be hard feelings. Especially when the way you 'expressed' yourself would be considered barbaric and…immodest. Most will accept what you've done, but these are married women. Most husbands, like my own or Mizore-chan's were not bound by love. There is a chance some of them have."

His fists clenched and one thing he said came back to haunt him.

It just doesn't matter now.

"Good." Tsurara pulled the yukata together at her front, "I see you are thinking about this and you're not going to scurry away now that you've had your fun. I'm glad."

"I'm going to take responsibility for my actions, Tsurara."

"Hmm," She hummed in approval at him and, it scared him back to his young teenage core like it did when he was in the Academy, he remembered how much he respected the monster she was. "Then be prepared to do so, Tsukune-kun. We will look forward to seeing you."

Sharing one last kiss, he was surprised to hear a voice behind him.

"Tsukune?"

Turning around, Mizore had her eyes opened and looking at him with curiosity. Tsurara gestured in a way that said, 'Responsibility calls.'

With hurried steps, Tsukune came to her and sat himself close by. "Mizore-chan."

Reaching down, he was a bit startled to see her flinch at him.

Was she scared of him?

He went to ask why, but he didn't realize it would have been a foolish question. Just looking at the marks on her, the bruising on her gorgeous skin and the scrapes along the soft cheeks of her face, his answers were as clear in her physical appearance as it was in her emotional one.

While Mizore kept her face neutrally aloof, her eyes were wide with suspicion and her lips quivered, lollipop-less, in caution.

How could he blame her?

His young stalker/admirer had trusted him to be caressingly gentle with her as he had always been with his wife. Mizore was on the receiving end of an onslaught of negative emotions, used and nearly discarded to blunt his pain of revenge and betrayal.

She _needed_ answers.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Mizore."

He reached for her.

"You already did, Tsukune."

Lowering his arms, he realized he had not only disappointed her but took advantage of her trust. She was going to do what she did best: let him know it.

He had no defense and it was punctuated more so when he saw her unconsciously pull the remains of her yukata over herself with one hand, trying to keep what little modesty she could muster after giving herself so willing to him…

…and seemingly regret it.

"Why?"

How could he tell her? After he was done treating her like a sexual punching bag, he had glazed over like some transitional 'thing' and moved on to the next conquest.

It sounded vaguely familiar…

"I can't tell you." Was his answer, as he looked away guiltily.

Mizore's perceptive pupilless eyes were haunting and relentless to pick her friend apart with a stalker's mentality he was only all too familiar with.

"This has to do with Moka, doesn't it?" She wasn't asking.

It was only fair for him to nod. He knew his friend could attach everything in his life from the time she met him to the time she left his wedding reception, thick with a child in her belly and a marriage vow spoken in her mind.

She watched him now and waited.

Mizore was one of the few girls he had known that was always underestimated in her own ways. She was knowledgeable through watching, silent and studious of people and their ways. Rooted from her extremely shy nature, she was able to understand people through silent shifts of body language and subtle ticks and gestures.

There was nothing subtle about Aono Tsukune's senseless abuse of her.

As he sat there next to her, being appraised by his friend and would be mother to his first child, everything he did to her begin to weigh on him. She wouldn't turn away. Her eyes, those haunting, judging eyes kept staring at him, waiting for him to explain in more detail why and what he did to her and for it to make sense to her.

"Mizore-chan, I'm-"

"_You_ hurt me," She shifted her yukata closer to her breasts and curled her legs together jerkily and away from him. "I _never_ thought you would hurt me, Tsukune."

The accusation in her frowning lips and narrowed eyes speared him physically.

He wanted to tell her now. She deserved it and yet he couldn't find it in him to do so.

"I'm sorry, Mizore." It was the only thing he could do was put his face on the floor and bow.

How could he explain the Shinso blood and its affects on him? How could she understand that he was still aching from being dead and then brought back to life? How could he explain that he was in a rush to take her from Gin? How could he explain-

"I forgive you, Tsukune." She reached out and placed her gentle hand on his head.

It was a simple gesture, but he was already beginning to feel a mountainous roll of guilt start to build in him and then disappear like mist. Before it began to tear into his human soul, she was already there to sooth it, giving him a smile and letting what was special in her as his friend mend what was breaking.

"But…" He felt he owed her so much more still…

"You _will_ explain it to me in time." Mizore demanded in her quiet lilt.

Realizing she was, again, not asking, he simply nodded. "I will."

"You _will_ go back home and either fix what has happened to you and her, Tsukune, or you will do what is needed to make a proper man of yourself and then come back to me."

"I will."

"You _will_ also take responsibility for tonight for not just my self but for all the other Yukki-onna's present. Not just for their bodies but for their hearts and the families they represent."

"I will."

Smiling at him, she simply nodded. Letting her hand slip to allow her pretty yukata to fall, her breasts were again beautifully exposed for him to see as well as the neat patch of lavender pubic hair.

"Lastly, you will visit me and make love to me like you should have."

And they held each other.

Breathing him in, this was how she had wanted to be with him and he had, _should_ have been with her those hours ago.

"We are friends Tsukune, however I am a woman who has missed you and loved you with all my heart. I know that part of you that did this to me last night was barely there, so whatever you need to do to expel that presence, do so, and don't bring it into my body again. I will be very disappointed in you if you do."

He mumbled a sincere apology, but was surprised to see her reach over and kiss him.

Touching her like this, tasting her and the soft spring water like flavor of her lips, he could only nod again that he would.

"I have to ask you something, though."

"Yes, Mizore-chan?"

"Did you _have_ to sleep with my mother?"

"Aaah," He reached up and scratched the back of his head. "It was a sort of…well…"

Those pupilless eyes were as astute as a forensic scientists microscope and he knew he was being put on a slide to be viewed.

"Did you feel that way about her when you first saw her or was the part of you that was unleashed upon us responsible?"

Clenching his fists, he knew he would regret lying to her, so the truth was best answer, least he hurt her trust in him again.

"I can only say that if you were hard to resist because of how I always treasured you, Mizore-chan, can you see how difficult it was for me when she is the woman who you reflect? Especially with this other side of me that I am having a hard time repressing?"

She looked as if she would have had a lollipop in her mouth she would be flicking it about now.

"That is a horrible answer, Tsukune."

He winced at her words.

"Your mother looked like she…well…wanted to know what it was like, Mizore-chan. I still had so much…I don't know. Desire?" he sighed in frustration, "That part of me that just unleashed itself and I wanted to give her what she was quietly asking for. I swear to you, I didn't force her."

Now, Mizore nodded.

"We are not a well loved race, Tsukune and it is even rarer that we find someone who will give us affection that is not normally demanded. We have to be this way, so when someone offers us these aware but considerate of our feelings, then we have to decide to accept them or refuse them."

Tsukune nodded.

"You do remember that I was almost raped before, don't you?"

A pulse in Tsukune's heart thrummed like a bass drum being struck.

Kotsubo Okuto was who she was talking about. The physical education teacher had been someone she had confessed to liking and had tried to force her to have sex.

What was the difference between him and Tsukune at this moment?

"The difference," Mizore could tell what he was thinking, "was that I allowed you to do this to me and," she weighed her words carefully, as if giving him a final sentence…

Tsukune properly held his breath, afraid of what she would say.

,"I still wanted you, Tsukune."

He exhaled thankfully, ready to tell her so.

She snapped her head back away from him, pointedly letting him know the allowance she was giving him wasn't costless.

"Don't get me wrong, when you come to me again," She rose a finger for him to see how serious she was, "you _will_ come to me as you are now and properly. I will not accept that other side of you again. Do you understand?"

Tsukune was nodding in earnest.

Now it was her turn to give him a pretty smile and hold him close to her breasts and he took all of her in with his strong arms.

"I really have missed you, Tsukune," She murmured to her friend, holding him tightly and hoping to express how much so through her hug.

He was about to express his own heartfelt confession when he saw her waiting for him outside the door of Maiden's hall.

"Priestess," His voice reflected his trepidation.

Mizore and whatever lucid snow maiden fumbled as well as they could to their knees in awed reverence.

She still had that same omniscient smile, her twin pools of ice burg blue riveted on him. "Well done, Tsukune,"

Her smooth slippers padded ascross the hall, taking no notice of those bodies that were deferred to her or those staring up at the ceiling in rapturous wonderment of their time with Tsukune.

When she stood before him, she waited.

It was as if she was waiting for him to do something and it occurred to him that he may be presenting himself rudely for now bowing.

Looking around at the others and then realizing he was in _her_ dimension, it would be only proper.

He kneeled.

She laughed.

While she may be beautiful, it was not a pleasant sound. Tsukune figured she probably didn't do that often.

By the way the other snow maidens who he was mimicking start to glance at each other in uncertainty, he was sure he was right to be cautious.

Looking uncomfortable, he had to ask, "Did I do something wrong?"

Tilting her head to the side, her fringes of her head piece followed her movement in ripples.

"Why do you kneel to me?"

To Tsukune, it seemed obvious. "This is your realm. I am a visitor and you have complete authority here. It would be rude."

"This is why we need you, Tsukune," She reached down and, to the amazement of the other snow maidens conscious, touched his arm to help him stand. "No vampire, except for Akasha Bloodriver, has ever bowed to someone who was not a vampire and was a creature of their lesser power. Only she has done so out of polite courtesy instead of actual acknowledgment. You kneeled to me. By doing so, that would show that I am not only your equal, but that I am greater then you. Do you really see yourself as such?"

"I don't know."

The other maiden's gasped. For him to say that he was, indeed, her equal was a show of challenge.

It made her nod.

"Priestess-sama, please forgive him! He doesn't-" Mizore was already staggering to get to her superior, but the Priestess already had her hand up.

"There are things happening, Hutaro Mizore that you don't understand. I asked him a question and he spoke honestly. That is all I ask."

Mizore reached out her hand to him and he took it, though she stayed on her knees while he stood.

Nodding, the Priestess clasped her hands and spoke. "From this moment forth, Aono Tsukune and Hutaro Mizore, I see the bond between you two and will forever expect Tsukune and Mizore to be the other's hand in our fate."

"Priestess!" Mizore spoke loudly, but it still had not stopped her from the ceremony taking place.

"With the witnesses present, here and now, know that Aono Tsukune has taken a snow maiden to be a part of her tribe. Since she is already married, I can not grant your name to her, but I will have it known that her duty to you is that of a liaison between your clans and the Snow People. Do you accept?"

Mizore's breath caught in her chest. Looking around, she saw those that were still astute looking back at her, nodding.

Even her mother.

Turning to Tsukune, she saw that he was just as blind sided as she was. "What does this mean, Mizore-chan?"

"It means, you are seen as our protector and speak for us against those that are in your clan. Basically, we defer to you as we would the Priestess, but she is seen above you in authority." Tsurara spoke from behind them.

Tsukune spun his head owlishly, "I…I can't accept this."

Everyone frowned, Mizore looked up and gripped his hand tightly, "Tsukune, you don't understand! This is considered a great honor to us! To dismiss it is a huge insult!"

"No, Mizore-chan, I can't accept this because…because I'm not worthy of it. This is too important. I'm…I'm just me."

"Do you wish to protect Mizore and our people, Tsukune?" The Priestess seemed to dissolve from in front of him and appear like a glaring beast of menace.

"Of course!"

"Do you see what you have done to the women here? They are to carry on your legacy! You are now father to thirteen children to be and now you feel you are unworthy of them? Speak, Aono Tsukune, because you certainly didn't stop letting these women know they were your articles for amusement."

Tsukune realized, in her own way, the Snow Priestess was asking him the same things Mizore was just not so long ago. Even then, he still couldn't conceive the idea of him being a father now and that his actions were producing such an incredible result.

Still, as he said before, there were consequences he would have to answer for and repercussions would be waiting for him in his future.

"I may not feel worthy of this position, but I see your reasoning."

Turning on his heel to look at the other women splayed out about the floor, he bowed to them all. "I will be responsible for you all as I will be for Mizore. I accept."

He didn't see the Priestess's hand touch his shoulder, but he felt her power flow into him, giving a part of herself that made him feel connected to her and then…

…all the snow maidens turned their heads to him as if 'seeing' him for the first time.

…to them.

"We are now your people just like they are yours, Aono Tsukune. Lift your head and embrace me."

The snow priestess's fingers wrapped her long sleeves around him. Holding her close, he could smell something that was remarkably close to snow and ice.

Like spring water frozen.

It made him smile, but then a sound of someone turning the knob to the door across from him as it unlatched.

A tall, lean man with a black shirt, a head ban holding a mop of dark hair in place, gave everyone a wolfish grin that showed off his pearly white teeth, cheerfully greeting his spectators with his playful brown eyes.

"Sorry about the delay, Ladies! There was some kind of animal scare or another at the bus station, but the Wolfman is here to play! Where's Mizore? Daddy's got a huuuuuuge package for you!"

Morioka Gin greeted everyone with an easy going grin…

The Snow Priestess dissolved from her feet to her head as fast as snow taking flight in a gale, taking her new guardian with her.

…and caught Aono Tsukune's eyes.

The Priestess felt Tsukune's body snarl at Gin, lunging at him with a might that uncoiled his body like a taunt spring released. She had caught him in her spell just in time to dissolve both of them from the very air and shifted his physical body into that of powdery white snow.

Wisping past Gin like a brief blizzard, the priestess and Tsukune were gone

Falling on his ass with the glaring afterimage of Aono Tsukune's promise of murder and death, Gin could help but express himself with three simple words.

"What the Fuck!"


	11. Ch 11 Expectations Shattered

Take What Is Yours

Ch 11 Expectations Shattered

Morioka Ginei lounged lazily as he rode in the back of the bus, legs kicked out on the farthest back seat with his fingers laced behind his head with a never ending grin creasing his face. To the whole world, he could have just been told some of the best news in the world and he couldn't be derailed if they tried.

His near future had the potential to put him in a league of men that had no choice but to be seen as a form of public savior to a race that prided themselves on beauty and grace.

Yukki Onna.

Taking the invitation from his pocket, he looked over all the wording, the time, location, who was going to pick him up and where…

He turned his eyes to Busdriver-san and turned away quickly. For some reason, the man always looked like he was staring at him through the rear view mirror.

…however, this trip was taking a lot longer then the expected time of arrival.

At first, this hadn't been a big deal, until he realized how much more entertaining it was going to be since there were going to be multiple stops along the way.

He had been the original passenger in the bus when he found himself being jolted awake by the bus's brakes, the sound of the door being opened, and a few passengers were brought in to occupy some of the vacant seats.

Most of these passengers were very cute girls.

Just when he knew it was a blessing from Kami or any other god that supported male achievements, he approached them with his casual care free smile and asked, "Hi, Ladies. Mind if I sit here? I hate being by myself."

This was received with mixed curiosity but accepted never the less.

Thus began the trip to the Snow People.

Stop after stop after stop…

Each one was one long string of company or female acquaintance after another, taking down numbers, promises to call and visit on his spare time.

Life was good.

Through out all of those little visits, there had been one young lady who had yet to receive any of Gin's attempts at charm or forced invitation in any form. Pale blue kimono in place, powder white short hair at the nape of her neck, and a semi bored glaze over her pretty features, the young woman was obviously more annoyed then pleased at him.

In his mind, she was one of the few, so what did it matter?

Either way, he had done well for himself.

Looking at his watch, he realized he was very late for the time to arrive at his final destination.

"Busdriver-san," He called out from the back of the bus noisily.

The girl looked over her shoulder at him as if to confirm he was being that blatantly impolite.

The bus driver just glanced at him in the rear view mirror and looked back at the road.

"Yo, are we there yet?"

Shaking her head, the girl simply looked away.

"We've had to make a few stops. Don't worry, boy, we'll get there soon."

Grumbling, Gin scratched at his neck and appraised the woman who was looking back at him with annoyance. She was obviously yukki onna, possibly a relative of Mizore if he would have guessed it.

Thinking of her made him grin wolfishly.

Oh, he couldn't wait to get a hold of her and let her know what it was like to be in the bed with a real man. From what he had been told, her husband was shooting blanks and the need for the young wolfster to come in and take charge was the only option left.

To make matters even more enticing, he had to do this duty twelve times over.

Thirteen girls and no real man for miles to do the deed.

Life was hard, but someone had to do it.

Thinking about this made him chuckle proudly, and he couldn't help but say out loud, "Mizore-chan, you're not ready for your sempai. Don't worry, daddy will take care of you."

"You're disgusting."

The voice had been smooth and melodic. Even if it hadn't been scolding, it was quiet in a reserved sort of way.

Looking from his reclined position, Gin lifted his head enough to take in the profile of the young woman who had been all but ignoring him till now.

"Oh?"

She had pupilless green blue eyes and was regarding him with distaste. She only nodded and looked away.

Deciding this challenge had to be answered; he rolled himself to his feet and casually moseyed over to her. "And what would your problem be with me, darlin'?"

Tilting her elegant eyes towards the part of the seat he had invited himself to lean against, then at him as if to dismiss him, she spoke through her pale pink lips at him, "Women aren't toys."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been giving your smiles, taking numbers with gusto, and getting your feels. Basically, you think you're entitled to just about everything you look at without a sense of contentment. I'm sure if you could line the girls up right in front of you, just now, you would feel that they were all for you, wouldn't you?"

"Darl'n, I'm a man. We were built this way."

She had obviously expected this kind of answer from him and it had not sat well.

"Just now, you said you were going to 'take care of' someone." Her mild sarcasm wasn't lost on him. "Am I right?"

"Hai," He nodded casually, giving another wide grin. "I'm helping a friend who is told to by your Priestess she needed some help fathering a child. So, I can't be that disgusting now, can I?"

The young woman turned to him fully, facing him as if to take on his full measure now that she knew he was sent by the Priestess herself.

What surprised him was the fact she seemed to be horrified.

"Let me off," She spoke quietly, but loud enough to receive acknowledgment from the bus driver to veer off to the side of the road and open the door.

"What?" He spoke, bewildered by the young lady's demeanor. "Did I say something wrong?"

Collecting herself, she stood up in the middle of the isle and didn't wait for the bus to come to a halt when she was ready to basically leap off if the door hadn't been closed to prevent her from doing so.

"Yukki Onna may have a deep need to have children and seek out a mate to spend their lives with, but I have to say if we've allowed someone of your genetic character to spread into our society then we are doomed as a people."

The young lady spoke with quiet passion.

Gin could only stare at her as if she just verbally slapped him. "What the hell are you getting so upset about?"

"Greetings," She gave him the slightest bow, but it was more dismissive then it was for the sake of a cultured exchange, "I am Yuki Saramora. I was supposed to be one of your conquests. I am glad I have witnessed your work before hand. I wouldn't sully my womb with your seed in a million years."

"But-"

The door opened and she dashed away into the snow field without looking back.

A nipping chill entered the bus, making Gin pull his leather jacket closer around his neck. Busdriver-san seemed unaffected by the temperature drop and continued to drive back onto the road as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

It was just another day.

"So you're going to meet a few friends today, boy?"

It had been unusual to see such hostility from a woman he barely knew. Under most circumstances, Gin could normally charm or, at a minimum, get a slap from a woman and see their faces twist in regret when they walked away from him.

There was nothing regretful in that woman's eyes.

"Yeah," Gin answered, licking his lips as the patch of snow and frozen tundra the girl disappeared behind continued to nothing more then a spot in his horizon.

"Good," The busdriver answered, with a smirk on his face. "I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

* * *

He had been annoyed to high hell when he was told that he had to wait.

Oh, sure, there was apologies left and right, food and drink to keep him sustained while there was some kind of scare and a search for 'something' was initiated, but he was really getting annoyed when one of the boundary wardens asked him for the eleventh time that he had, literally, just got off the bus about four hours ago and, no, he had not went anywhere near 'Maiden's Hall'.

Of course, that didn't mean that wasn't his destination after wards as soon as these tight ass'd security guards would let him pass!

Sighing, he glanced about and reminded himself that it would not do to lose his cool here. There were many beautiful women about and knew, from experience, that most were hungry to the point of desperate to find a husband, or, at a minimum, give them a baby.

Next to visiting a succubi den, which was next on his list of 'things to do', this had to be the biggest hot spot to meet women.

Shifting his small bag of clothes in his hands, he watched a husband and wife coddle a child that was getting fussy and, for the smallest part of him that wanted to laugh at the poor sucker who was carrying that marital luggage, he couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit jealous.

There was a family.

Looking back, he knew there wasn't much to his experience with family. Orphaned and desperate for attention in his early years, it was his glorious linage that he had to thank for being the success he was now. Back then, there was always someone trying to take something that belonged to someone else. Even the strong were taken from.

So you were either taking or being taken from.

No one would take from him anymore.

Ever.

That was something to be said about the orphanage he learned and he learned well. If you wanted to succeed in life you grabbed it, controlled it, and shaped it to how you wanted.

Gin wanted everything: Booze, Sex, Love, Sex, Money, Sex, Adoration...

Sex...

...Sex...

...SEX!

He giggled in a way that made some of the snow girls around him scowl and shuffle away with murmurs of disgust.

_Screw'm,_ he thought. _I'll be balls deep in your kind as soon as this is done._

At first he had wanted the most basic of affections: Trust, honest, companionship, and love that was everlasting.

_I was such a pussy_, he chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

People like that always got taken advantage of and they were always chewed up whole and spit out. A good example was his ole' friend Tsukune.

_Poor bastard_, he sighed in reflection.

They were friends in school and, yes, he had a good amount of respect for the guy when it came to putting his neck out for others. However, it wasn't his fault that he got chained up with a ceremony and bonded to Moka, no matter how hot she was!

Although, it did make Gin admit he had her and his whole troupe of beauties at his beck and call back then.

_Too bad he wasn't man enough to know what to do with them if they fell back on their asses with their legs in the air_, he snickered at the thought. In his mind, he saw all of the girls, lined up one after another, legs in the air, ankles held in their hands and all of them spread wide for him to see the individual color of their most intimate flowers.

A comical spout of blood shots from poor Aono's nose and he topples over in a heap of virgin male goo.

_Ah well,_ Gin thought,_ if you want I'll show you how's it done, kiddo._

Peeking in his bag, he saw the portable camera that was tucked away so that he could record video and audio with just a push of the button. The lens was seamlessly positioned inside the bag to look as inconspicuous as possible. Then there were about four to five other camera's about the size of cigarette that he could hide about anywhere and collect later on for his little web site.

_I should have prepared the audience for this even better_, he considered in hindsight. _ Eh, I'll post something when I get back and then make them wait a week. Let them drool a little._

"Okay, everyone! Seems as if everything is clear!" One of the Boundary Wardens called out, letting a crowd of people pick their way through the exit of the bus station terminal.

Waiting for the majority of the masses to get through, he sauntered over to the nearest worker and casually inquired the direction of Maiden's Hall.

* * *

Gin may have been many less than graceful or dignified in many ways, but when it came to threats against his friends he was never one to stand aside. When he was directed towards Maiden's Hall, the first thing he saw was some of the upturned earth and the splintered remains of a lot of trees. All around him he saw powdery white snow kicked about by the snowmobiles of the local border guard.

He could see why there had been some kind of scare, something of violence happened here. If there had been any blood, it was sure to have been covered by now.

Either way, he had a mission to complete. With the snow blowing at its gale like speeds with the suffocating mix of other people's scents, it was no wonder he couldn't find Mizore by his trusty nose alone.

The one thing he thought he caught a whiff of made him pause in front of the grand door.

It was something familiar yet totally out of place, he couldn't help but wonder if it was his imagination or even traces of a guilty conscience.

But then what did he have to feel guilty about and what would he be doing here?

Deciding to dismiss that turn of thought and concentrate on the here and now, Gin rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Twelve plus one maidens were there to offer their bodies to him and he would be a very irresponsible man to neglect such generosity.

Opening the door, he gave everyone his best grin and decided there was no need to hide behind pretenses. What hit him wasn't the looks of annoyance or smirking light hearted reminders of proper manners with such a delicate issue he had been expecting from a group of women who have been raised in a proper home for who knows how long.

No, that wasn't that at all.

Death.

Malice and an unfathomable rage stabbed into him before he locked eyes with its source.

Aono Tsukune.

He had opened his eyes after receiving the embrace of the Snow Priestess, the ruler of the Snow People, and he could 'feel' his body coil like a serpent a half second away from its lunge. All of Gin's instincts told him to run, to transform and use the full half moon's power to run for his life. His sense all screamed that this was _not _the time to fight or worry about appearances.

Morikoa Ginei couldn't move.

He had never felt such utter loathing and fury, it was so palatable he could literally taste Tsukune youkai like burnt ash choking him.

Then Tsukune lunged. Eyes blazing hate with his fangs bared.

Gin couldn't breath, he couldn't bring his arms up fast enough...

Tsukune's teeth flashed like a demonic beast's, his eyes famished for retribution. The vampire's unholy appetite was about to devour Gin's soul and he couldn't even move!

All of the things Gin had ever done in his life flashed before his eyes, his regrets and losses laid bare only to 'feel' Tsukune turn into snow before he made contact with him and disappear in a wispy fluttering of snow and wind.

He was gone.

Unable to keep up his pretenses any longer, he had to ask, "What the fuck!"

Silence.

Tsukune and the Snow Priestess were gone.

Then it hit him, a wave of spent pheromones, sweat, blood, semen, and feminine fluids drenched the room where each one of the yukki-onna were still kneeling or lying on the floor, Mizore included. Tsurara, by her scent and appearance, had also received the affections of Gin's once friend now tormented rival.

The bag fell from Gin's hands with a thump.

"No...fucking...way."

Turning to each one of the maidens whimpering with an ache, scratches and untidy pulls of their clothes to cover their immodest appearance, Aono Tsukune's scent had smothered each and every one of them.

The only thing Gin could think of at this point was one thing: Tsukune had beat him...again.

"But..."

This wasn't right. This was supposed to be one of Gin's shining moments, he was supposed to be a savior to the Snow People, a man to father a dozen children and stake claim to the flesh of snow maidens who would sing his praises and remember him as a sexual god!

Tsukune had taken that from him.

_How? _He wanted to rage. It made no sense. Tsukune wasn't this kind of guy! He hadn't even had the stomach to fight for his woman. Where the hell did he suddenly get the balls to pull off something like this?

"Gin-sempai?"

It wasn't possible...Tsukune couldn't do this. He didn't have it in him, he just wasn't man enough. He wasn't… was he?

The evidence of what Tsukune was lay all around him. It hung in the air mocking him, another man's scent on what was supposed to be his.

In life you took or got taken from, and Tsukune had took the carpet out from under him before he even set foot on it. There was just no denying it.

"Gin-sempai."

A soft hand touched his arm and he shuddered away from it. The permeating smell of the man he had taken his wife from saturated her tattered yukata. From the fine silk threads to the gloss of its shine, Gin knew that this was an outfit that was custom made and had cost a small fortune. Now...

Gin traced his eyes over the once flawless skin that made the Yukki-Onna among the most sought after beauties in the monster world. It was marred now with scrapes and glaring bruises, hand prints still left on her petite shoulders, her upper arms and her hips. Pupilless baby blue eyes that reflected wonders in erotic endeavors and sated her in ways that scared her and fulfilled her was forever marked her as a twice claimed woman, by husband and lover.

It was all just physical proof of what Tsukune had done to Mizore. She was his now; body, mind, and soul. Gin could see that as clearly as the bruises on her skin.

All his expectations lay in ruins.

"Mizore," Gin glanced past her to her peers, each one attempting to recover in her own way and in their own time.

They appeared absolutely on the brink of mental and physical exhaustion.

"You were supposed to wait for me. I was supposed to be the one you fathered a child with. Even these other women," He glanced at each one with a sense of loss that wounded his heart and pride. "I was the chosen one to be each one of your..."

Mizore nodded, pulling a long piece of cloth hanging off her shoulders in front of her. Gin's eyes had roamed over her and he seemed, interestingly enough, distraught. "I know, the Snow Priestess has chosen you for me, but why does it matter? We found someone to give us a child, so I am curious as to why you seem...upset?"

"You mean you did not want my child? You wanted...his!" He barked off angrily.

Emotions that seemed to have been forgotten from their time in Youkai Academy seem to be bubbling back.

"Of course." She answered simply, easily, dismissing his quiet outrage with a look that spoke as simply as her words. "It wasn't that I ever asked for your child, specifically, Gin. I would have accepted anyone's, really, but I would have endured it for the sake of the village."

"Endured it?" Gin ground out the word indignantly. "It would have made it the most amazing experience of your entire life! I was going to make love to you until you begged me to stop! Until you forgot your own name!"

The young snow maiden reflected his statement with her usual calm, unsure as to what he had expected. "Make love to me? What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" He cried in disbelief and frustration. "Mizore I came here to give you a child!"

"I know," Mizore replied calmly, reiterating the process he was supposed to take part in. "I was going to have my eggs fertilized with your sperm and implanted back into me like all the others were. You were brought here for donation, Gin. Your part was going to be in that room," She pointed to a small room with a door that had a stack of erotic magazines placed on a small table for him. "What exactly did you think was going to happen here?"

"This!" He gestured to all the women still murmuring some kind of spasm or ache, in one corner an older woman was consoling a young yukki onna as she wept, asking her elder if she will be forgiven by her family. The elder yukki onna's response was a simple, "We did what was needed for the good of our people."

Mizore took in the room and nodded. "You expected some kind of debauchery or orgy, with us throwing ourselves to you at your whim?"

"Don't make fun of me, Mizore," Gin closed his fists and turned away from her. "I know what took place here."

Mizore only had to look down to agree with him. The lower half of her robe did very little to cover her patch of feminine hair.

"There are some things that I could not deny myself, Gin. I have wanted Tsukune for years and ...well...I could not deny him. I missed him and loved him." Rubbing low on her belly, she blushed glowingly. "I am so happy."

"Fine!" He barked at her, startling her. "But what about the others!"

He gestured his hands around him. "Certainly they couldn't have all been waiting years for him!"

"No," She shrugged her shoulders and took in some of the pretty faces that were peering at the conversation her and her sempai were having in spectating curiosity. "They all came to him. I'm sure they have their reasons, but if there was one thing I have to admit, to each and everyone of us, he was extremely passionate, if not dangerous. It had its own appeal."

"I could have given you that!"

Mizore shook her head, "No, Gin, I think you could have given 'you' that. You forget, I know you. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait! I came all this way and-"

"Oh, my, this looks expensive."

Pushing Gin's bag between Gin and Mizore, Tsurara offered it to the young werewolf visitor in a matter that was quite abrupt.

The zipper on top was open with what looked like a LOT of camera equipment.

"Cameras, Gin sempai?" Mizore peeked in herself, the brows over her nose pinching in anger. "What exactly were you hoping to film?"

Gin's frustration disappeared into something more charming. "Oh, you know the sights here are extremely beautiful and who gets the see the aurora so close?"

Neither of the two women bought his lie.

"The next time you want a hidden camera, I suggest one that the size of a pen and with less weight. I have over twenty of these in my house and these don't exactly give a good quality. Also, your mic needs a wind diffuser. Don't want to hear anything in background that will distract from what you really need to hear, don't you? All of this in a single back pack really does give away that your intentions here aren't exactly honorable, Gin-kun."

"How would you-?"

"I've always wanted to be a spy, child," Tsurara folded her arms over the fabric of her breasts,"and I've been practicing hidden surveillance for over a decade before you were even born. Don't insult me. Oh, and just one more thing."

Tips of razor sharp icicles surrounded him.

"Yukki-onna see sex as a very private matter. What we do behind closed doors is our business, not everyone else's. We're not succubi."

Glancing around him and seeing the very real threat presented, Gin huffed at her and started walking backwards towards the door. "Maybe, but if that's true then why was this allowed to happen? You couldn't control yourself because Tsukune was just that much of a man for all of you to fall at his feet for?"

Tsurara clasped her hands in front of her properly and gave Gin a dangerous small smile. "Would you really want me to answer that for you?"

"I'm out of here." Gin spun on his heel, but footsteps behind him made him pause.

Grinding his teeth, Gin took the bag and was about to stomp off when Mizore grabbed his arm. "I have one more question, Sempai."

Looking over his shoulder, he impatiently waited for her to ask.

"Why does our Tsukune want to kill you?"

Both Yukki Onna waited with baited tempers. Their beloved Aono Tsukune was a part of her family and they treasured him more then any of their other friends. That he would unleash so much uncharacteristic violence and dominance, unbridled lust and then murderous desire to him had so many unanswered questions that they sought to find reasons for.

The gears in Gin's head were turning, but in the end he just shook his head. "If you want to know badly, then ask him yourself. It's none of my business anymore."

Opening the door himself, he slammed it shut, causing a thunderous clap to echo off the walls.

Both Mizore and Tsurara took a moment to consider the man's actions.

"I don't remember your beloved Tsukune acting this way, Mizore-chan."

"Me neither, Mother."

Taking each others arm, they went to assist some of the other maidens who seemed to have some pulled ligaments and cramped muscles.

"Once our part here is done, I want to find out what has happened between those two. It is no coincidence that Tsukune has come here all of a sudden, does this with us, and then wants Gin's blood." Tsurara calls out thoughtfully.

Mizore added her own thoughts. "True, Mother, but I do know that in all of this, somehow, Moka is involved and we should probably start there."

"I agree," Her mother replied as she reached down to speak to a young girl who was sitting down morosely, holding her hands over her tummy.

* * *

"You want to play this game with me, fine, we'll play," Gin called out loudly as he paced back and forth at the bus station.

People were looking at him and he returned their inquisitive glances with a nasty glare.

He wasn't happy at all.

"I'll get you, Tsukune. I'll fucking get you. I didn't ask for this to happen but I'll sure as shit make sure I'll beat you at it." Glancing in the bag, he saw that all of his equipment was still in tact and was still ready for use.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Flipping it open, he smirked when he read the message. It was simple and to the point.

_Gin, we need to talk. _

_Moka._

Flipping it closed, he just smiled grandly. "Sure thing, Moka. I'll see you."

Hefting his backpack, he was glad he had brought as much as he did.


	12. Ch 12 Speechless

AN: I would like to thank Lord Of The Land Of Fire and Itouchanime for the help they gave me for ideas and beta. Thanks guys!

Your Mistress.

* * *

Take What Is Yours

Ch 12 Speechless

Moka closed the cell phone after she received Gin's text, which confirmed their impending discussion. Such a topic, which is commonly a cause for great joy, is nevertheless stressful under the best conditions. In light of the current turn of events, despondent wouldn't begin to capture what she felt.

In her room in the former Castle Akashiya, Moka sat impassively in front of her vanity while her mother brushed her hair. To her acute hearing, each soft, rustling stroke of the brush sounded like a wave washing in to the shore. She imagined them as waves of time, which for her, would not end. She was alone and adrift and felt it pointless to try and make herself pretty again. Everything that had once given her life color, flavor, and meaning, were gone. Going through the motions of normalcy was all that was left to her.

She didn't even have her sisters anymore and it was only a matter of time before her mother left.

What was she to do?

Akasha Bloodriver stopped her brushing and fiddled with one end of her hair. Listlessly, Moka gazed on. Her attention only took root when her mother made the oddest sound in her throat. Realizing the keen focus, Moka shifted in her seat to look over her shoulder. Pinched between Akasha's fingers was a single strand of hair.

It was gray.

To Moka, it was an odd thing that had no importance, so she turned back and stared at the mirror dutifully.

There really wasn't anything left to do but trudge on in the life she had created.

Her mother was still looking at her daughter's hair, even going as far as comparing them to her own.

"Moka, when did you start getting this?" Akasha asked as she wiggled the single strand in front of Moka's nose.

Moka merely shrugged.

Frowning, Akasha let it fall to the floor. Hopefully it was just an isolated incident. Vampires did not generally show signs of aging and rarely displayed gray hairs. Akasha was well into her fourteenth century and had yet to show a single tarnished strand.

Issah had a few, but had been older than her.

A knock on the door caught their attention.

"Enter." Akasha called, turning in her seat to face their visitor.

It was Ria.

Gliding in smoothly, Ria faced Akasha with a look of placid disinterest. Moka's presence wasn't given so much as a glance. Akasha wondered what was going on behind those cunning eyes that were so much like her father's. The girl was plotting and scheming something, nothing was surer.

"Mother Akasha," Ria spoke cordially, offering the Hades Lord an envelope. "Your presence is requested upon the next vampire council."

Akasha stared at the envelope interminably before snatching it, bereft of further inspection. Turning her soft, jade green eyes back towards Ria, she asked quietly. "So your father plans to go through with this?"

Folding her hands properly in front of her, Ria lowered her gaze and simply nodded. "Yes, Mother Akasha. All of the Head Families will be present, including Baron Teppes."

Akasha's fingers clenched at the sound of that name, crumpling the envelope noisily. "Very well, Ria. Is there anything else?"

"With your permission, I would like to have your servants pack up my personal belongings as well as those of my father and my two sisters," She turned her eyes ever so subtly in Moka's direction. Her sister was still seated in front of the mirror, seemingly oblivious to Ria's presence, simply staring off into her own little world. Frowning in a barely perceptible manner, Ria turned back to Akasha. "They should be done by the end of the day. Then the castle really will be all yours, Mother Akasha. Just as you wanted."

"I did not want any of this," Akasha said wearily.

"Odd, considering how you did so well achieving what you did want as opposed to what you did not."

Akasha turned a hard eye towards the girl, her fingers becoming clawed. "I don't like your tone."

Unconsciously, Ria touched the side of her face that was healed but ached at the idea of being punished again. "I will not ask forgiveness for the slight, Mother Akasha. You and your daughter have taken away something very precious to me that I will never get back. Since I see no reason to hide what I feel towards either of you, I believe pretenses are lies."

"Are you referring to your position in Fairy Tale?" Akasha asked in quiet annoyance.

"I was referring to Tsukune." Ria bit off his name like something regrettably important.

In her seat, Moka flinched and turned to stare emptily at Ria. Akasha saw the hurt on her daughter's face and it made her anger begin to rise.

"Would it hurt you to show a little consideration for your sister?"

"Sister? I do not see either Kahlua or Kokoa present." Ria made a show of looking left and right, then shrugging. "And I mention Tsukune because he was an important person to me. He was the one person I expected to be a regular part of my life for millennium to come, whether it be brother, lover, rival, confidant, or simply tormented friend. However, because of what she has done, he is gone now, and my world without him is emptier. So no, Mother Akasha, I will not stop saying my brother's name since he was a recognized part of my family that died under my clan name."

Akasha's mouth wordlessly opened and closed. The taunting words were not the surprise. It was the fact Akasha actually believed Ria's affection for Moka's departed husband was real.

"May I have leave to go? I wish to oversee the moving of my family's belongings and I can only stand being in presence of 'her' for so long."

Akasha started to say something, but Ria cut her off with her quiet sarcasm, "Don't worry, I will not steal the silver or the money in the coffers." With a less then sincere curtsy, Ria held her posture to be allowed to leave.

Akasha nodded her dismissal before Ria started on her way back towards the door. As her hand touched the knob, she called out into the air. "I respected him."

Moka and Akasha turned their attention back towards their dark haired visitor.

"I couldn't figure out why I was so angry at you and your husband, little Moka, but I realized it was because I respected him. I wanted to not just be feared by him, but to matter. He was always putting you before me and that was not something I could accept. But I respected him, I also came to value him."

Akasha and Moka could feel the helpless agitation in Ria's voice, especially when she called the pink haired young woman 'little Moka'.

Turning on her heel, she took in Moka's heavy, sad green eyes glancing at her in the mirror with her hard dark brown ones. "I am angry with myself because he was nothing, yet I expected him to find value in me. Me! Call it what you will, but that is the closest thing to affection and sympathy you'll get from me about Tsukune. He didn't belong with us. I told you that from the beginning, little Moka. Had you listened to me and just kept him as a lover, you two could have existed in your own private little world. You always took things too far, though. The two of you were never meant to be."

"We were," Outer Moka croaked, her voice hoarse after crying for so long. "I just wasn't brave enough to face my fears."

"Then maybe she should have been brave enough to just let him go," Ria hissed fiercely, "You brought this upon all of us and yourself in every sense of the word! I could have-"

"Is there anything else, Ria?" Akasha smoothed her long red dress as she stood purposely between Moka and Ria, clearly defending from Ria's prepared onslaught.

Ria's heated words were cut off in her throat as she caught the green eyes of her father's once mate. With poisonous passion, Ria chewed back what she wanted to say to deliver one last message "Yes."

She turned to Moka and caught her eye, pulling the door open for her to leave.

"Kokoa is coming to see you. She'll be here shortly."

The door closed soundly behind her.

* * *

"How could you do this to us?"

Kokoa's irate voice reverberated throughout the small room. It had been several weeks since Moka had last seen her youngest sibling. Then, without warning, Kokoa burst into Moka's room without knocking, tackling her beloved older sister's Outer self with all of her strength off the chair she had been sitting on with while talking with her mother and throwing Moka to the floor. Gripping the rosario resting on Moka's chest, she yanked as hard as she could, ready to break Outer Moka's neck to get it off if she had to.

"Give me my Nee-sama! You did this to us! You made sure that we couldn't be together because you were always jealous of who and what she was! You made her do what she did with that stupid werewolf and now we're all paying for it! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

Moka gazed dazedly at Kokoa's wrathful outburst, tears running down her already red eyes as the wrathful orange headed woman straddled her, pulling at the links and silver cross piece so hard she was jerking Moka's head about like a dog tearing at a doll.

Akasha would have none of it.

Grabbing the youngest sibling by the top of her hair, Kokoa yelped when Moka's mother pulled her roughly off of and away from her older sibling.

"What do you think you're doing Kokoa?" Akasha demanded as she hauled the teenager up to her feet by the side of her long hair till she was twisting her neck uncomfortably. "Your sister is in no shape to deal with your antics right now!"

Kokoa's hair had grown significantly longer now, like the rest of her. Svelte and lithe, she was built a lot like her sister Kahlua with a body blessed with grace and charming appeal, that wasn't as distracting as Ria's or Moka's. Swishing orange streaks that fluttered well past her shoulders and into a mane that was as lustrous as her green eyes, yet the beauty was marred by her maliciousness. Still intensely vindictive, Kokoa's dark green eyes locked onto Moka with the promise of retribution and loathing that made Moka crumble all the more into herself.

"She's not my sister!" Kokoa howled as she yanked free, but only after Akasha had made sure she was not going to attack her daughter again. "She's just a pathetic mask that keeps my real sister hidden! And now she's destroyed my family!"

"You can blame your father for that," Akasha said coldly. "It was his decision to disown Moka."

"I heard what she did." Kokoa turned accusingly to Moka who was still lying there on the floor. "Is it true? Did you really let Gin get you pregnant? I would have never put much stock in Tsukune, but at least you had the decency to turn him into a vampire. My real sister would never lower herself to be with someone like Gin, right? It's all some huge mistake or you did it against her wishes, right?"

Kokoa's desperately pleaded, clenching her hands into fists as if she was praying, hoping against hope that as angry as she was at Outer Moka, that her older sister would still dispel all of her fears and give her an answer that would magically put everything that was wrong back where it should be.

"Kokoa-chan I," Moka began only to be rudely cut off.

"I don't want to hear any of your more excuses from you! Let me talk to my sister! I want to hear it from onee-sama!"

Moka wanted to say more, but she couldn't. With a notable lack of enthusiasm, Moka clenched the silver rosario piece and pulled. Blood red Youkai energy swirled about, transforming Moka into her true self. The silver haired Moka then calmly rose to her feet and faced the hurt and teary eyed Kokoa, catching her sister's gaze without saying a word.

"Well?" Kokoa demanded expectantly, lacking all of the adoration and childish glee that Moka normally would associate with a visit from her precious sister. Unable to keep the demand and hurt from her voice, Kokoa asked, "Did you?"

Inner Moka weighed what to say or what to do as she took in the impossible amount of pent up hope in her sister's face. Words left her, so she simply nodded. Looking away, Kokoa could only see a shell of what was once her aristocratically proud and arrogant sister. The person before her wasn't only weak, but appeared to be absolutely broken.

Kokoa stood there staring at her beloved elder sister at a loss for words. Finally, in voice barely louder than a breath, she whispered, "How… how could you?"

The silver haired Moka looked about, trying to find the best way to explain why and how had things had become as they were. But they were just words and actions had taken the turns that have left them where they were now. There was nothing left to say, but there was even less to do that could pull her out of the quagmire of mistakes under her name. Her actions spoke louder than any words ever could. Everything that was gloriously wonderful in her life was gone. She was no longer a wife, a lover, a friend, or even happily together with the most caring and gentle boy she could ever find.

And that is what made everything so crushing, was that! At some point she actually thought this was the right thing to do! Her! This idea to bluff! This idea to pull no punches and go for the kill by attacking him at his most vulnerable spot, his love for her...

His. Love. For. Her!

It took everything beautiful from her and turned it against her! Not only did she not have his love for her, but his trust, his respect, his dedication and desire to be with her were all destroyed, and now so was he! She can't even try to fix things now because he was gone!

In her arms, he had been ripped apart like some kind of tug of war gone wrong! He died because of her! Then he knew what she had in her...everything they were fighting for before and during, now had crossed that impossible line.

She was pregnant and with Gin's child. Their friend who had been more then happy to take up the opportunity to lay with her had left a reminder inside of her of the night she created the biggest mistake of her existence.

Him! Why had she thought this was going to fix things? She knew why.

The most unlikely reason, yet the most honest was simply this: she was scared!

At first it started with pride, but as soon as she stepped through the door with Gin by her own hand, it couldn't have been further from the truth.

Pride? What pride?

She would have begged and wallow in feces to bring Tsukune back into the room and have him yell at her, slap her, and kick the shit out of Gin for her stupid idea! She would have renounced herself and her family name to have the man who made her soul glow like the purest light look at her with just disappointment and even disgust, but he would have still been with her and they could have worked things out, even if he viewed her as a lesser person! Now...

Now...

He was gone and he knew...

...just knew...

...it was like killing him before he died.

...it was over beyond words.

A part of Moka wanted to think, to believe, to hope that had they made it just one minute, one hour, one day into the next where Tsukune didn't absolutely loathe her and would talk to her that things would have been worked out. If she could prove to him by _any_ means necessary that she was regretful and would repent, speak out and beg, grovel, she would have!

Just one more second...one more hour...just...anything...to have him back.

Now, the part that was growing in her womb wasn't of him to carry on his memory, but a child that belonged to someone else to forever remind her of her tainted actions and even flawed character as a woman.

The supposed friend who should have stopped both of them but didn't. Why? She knew why, because he wouldn't. He had wanted her so lecherously for so long that he would put his dick before both his soul and the bond between his friends.

That was the whole reason she had chosen him in the first place. Moka had wanted to use Gin and his reputation to force Tsukune into action. Her husband had always told her she was the purest and most perfect thing in his life and that he was humbled by her. By those very words, choosing Gin would have defiled her in the filthiest of ways.

So why did Tsukune not do anything? She thought of so many reasons, but the most common was also the most obvious.

He was stronger then her mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and, dare she admit it, protectively. It wasn't about right or wrong, vows or lusts, but about her being out of control. He stayed to make sure she was safe and that, should she need him one last time, he would be there for her.

Even during that time with Gin!

And their friend...how could he have let this happen to them?

She didn't hate Gin as much as she hated herself, and yet she had a part of him that she willingly tainted herself with to hurt the man she wanted to be blessed by.

How does one explain all this with a language or with enough expression to dignify an answer Kokoa could understand? Kokoa was never one to maintain control of her emotions, yet she was always steadfast in her determination and ways. Now, above all the times she had the most clarity, rather than all the times she had felt her most clear headed, she realized how little control she had. Tsukune had seen her floating down this road that night and he was probably silent because he really had no say in this.

It was her mistake to make.

To answer Kokoa's question, she could not possibly explain everything with something as pathetic as words to express the depth of her loss. Kokoa wouldn't understand. She couldn't. What did she know about the loss of a love that was the fault of her own doing?

She didn't.

As angry and relentless as Kokoa was, she always expressed her love and never cared about pretenses or protocol when it came to her family.

Kokoa was more of a woman then she was.

Inner Moka said nothing and looked away.

"Don't act like this is just about you!" Kokoa scrubbed furiously at her face, rubbing away tears that wouldn't stop falling. "Don't you understand what you've done? Having a lower creature's baby is about the worst thing a vampire can do. You completely disgraced not only of yourself but our whole family!"

Steeling herself, Kokoa clenched her fists at her sides and yelled at Moka, "If it's true, then father was right to disown you!"

Unable to believe she would say that to her most precious sister, Kokoa fell to her knees, bawling and hiccuping on the floor, "How could you do it? How could you be so selfish? It was the other one's fault right? This wasn't something you would do, right? You wouldn't do this to yourself on purpose, nee-sama? Tell me, it was her!"

Moka could see she was desperate for any excuse to absolve her beloved one-sama of this vile deed.

Inner Moka could only shake her head.

Kokoa looked away, staring at her wide eyed. "Don't you even care what this means? Father has disowned you! We are being evicted from our own home. I am not supposed to even call you 'nee-sama' any more. Doesn't any of that matter to you?"

Inner Moka licked her lips, trying to find the strength to even speak, explain, apologize, beg...

...nothing came out.

When her beloved died, it was as if he took her voice, her breath, her will. Who was she to deserve someone like Kokoa or Kahlua?

There was nothing to say because every time she opened her mouth, she only proved again and again how unworthy she was to be loved, let alone married. Seeing as how she couldn't speak, she did the only thing she could do.

Slender arms pulled Kokoa in an embrace...

"You can't fix it! You should never have slept with Gin in the first place!"

...only to get shoved so hard she fell onto the bed with a tumble.

Moka didn't even look at her, just stare up at the canopy of the bed. These were just words. Words meant nothing. Actions are what mattered now. Simple words didn't cause all of this. Tsukune had wanted to talk to her, try to ease her and comfort her before things got this bad.

In the end, it was her actions that mattered and had nailed the coffin of his death.

Kokoa shut her eyes, exhaling a shuddering breath that seem to take the very soul from her. "It's really true. You really did it. How could you Moka? You were always so strong, so wise! I admired everything you did! I worshiped you! I wanted to be you! How could you do something so far beneath you? My onee-sama could never do something like that. It's like I don't even know you."

Inner Moka wiped at her nose and eventually pushed herself up onto her elbows. Guilt, broken and self loathing was etched in her beautiful features like some horrid scar.

"This isn't you, Moka," Kokoa shook her head, taking a few steps back while looking more and more disgusted. Repeating the words with horror'd disbelief, "This isn't you. You wouldn't have done this to me, to father, to us, to...to Tsukune! You were better then this...this disgraceful thing!"

"Kokoa, if you don't have any other reason here then to hurt your sister, then I think you should go before-" Akasha warned, coming to Inner Moka's aid.

"Or what? You'll beat me up like you did my sister?" Kokoa asked boldly. Her heated emotions made her feel capable of anything, even challenging the Dark Lord herself.

A rustle from the bed brought their attention to Inner Moka, watching her stumble across the floor weakly. Giving Kokoa a sad, pitiful smile, she tried to hold her again.

Before the youngest once sister could be embraced, Kokoa spoke in a whisper that froze Moka's affectionate gesture. "You're _nothing_ to me now. You're _not_ my sister, you're _not_ my friend, you're _nothing_. I hope you die!"

Without a word, without a touch, without so much as a chance to reconcile, Inner Moka watched her youngest and once most adoring sister vanish in a dash of flying skirt, orange hair, and a vehement declaration of separation.

Sitting down on the bed she had previously occupied, Inner Moka fingered the rosario sitting on the bed.

Sadly, she was getting used to being abandoned by the people she loved. As much as she hoped it wouldn't, it still felt as piercing as it had back then.

Without saying a word, her mother took her by the arm and sat back down in the chair in front of the vanity. "I would like for you to meet Bardiel, sweetheart. He's a very nice man and I think you two would get along."

Moka considered her mother's words as she shared a quiet look at her through the mirror.

In her own mind, it was like asking her mother to meet Gin.

They were two men who had interfered in the lives of those who were married.

"In time, things will get better, Moka. Just give everything time." Akasha tried to sooth her.

Inner Moka didn't respond, because it would be rude to express how utterly wrong it would be say that nothing good would come from meeting the man who would replace her father or to feel anything good without her husband's forgiveness.

* * *

Ruby had recovered well enough after a few hours rest and some time being monitored by the medical staff of Mikogami's infirmary ward. As she woke up, a nurse came in to give her a very professional description of medical terminology that summed up as exhaustion, and overuse of youkai energy, which could result in nerve and muscle reflex degradation of up to twenty percent if she wasn't careful, and even possible loss of mental stability if she wasn't careful.

While all of it sounded severe, Ruby was polite to not tell the girl she suffered these kinds of things constantly and didn't mind.

It was her duty.

As Ruby walked into her lab, she was surprised to see Mr and Mrs Sendo rifling through her things. Had she not known who they were, it would have potentially ended horribly for Yukari's family after Ria's little stunt. As it was, she was glad to see them and wondered how had taken the news of Yukari's condition.

To say she was the one who was caught off guard by the announcement that Yukari was not only in good spirits, but she was quickly recovering fine left her baffled. After hearing the details of how everything was taken out of context and misrepresented, Toujou Ruby was hurrying over to see her little sister when she was caught off guard by a flash of light before her.

"A rift? Here?" Ruby thought curiously to herself, unable to understand why a dimensional door had opened up in the hallway, causing all sorts of a ruckus with its vacuum like pull of papers from orderlies or wall hangings. She was considering whether or not to call upon her scepter, when it hit her…

**"Dddddiiiiiiieeeee!"**

…her Master, Aono Tsukune, appeared like a nightmare come to life, claws and fangs ready to rip through flesh and gore bodily anyone who was in front of him.

Sadly, Ruby was not prepared to defend herself or strong enough to be able to if she wanted.

Yet, she didn't bother.

_Come to me, Master. Give me your wrath and do with me as you wish._

With her prettiest smile and arms open wide, she offered herself to her Master's blood thirst willingly, only to hear a loud thump and drag of his body slide to her feet. Before he could even touch her, her master and friend, Tsukune, had fainted before her, twitching and shivering in some kind of bizarre fit.

"Aono-sama!" Ruby turned the already pale half formed vampire onto his back to check his eyes and his pulse. Both of them were thready and weak. Pulling her wrist back to offer him blood, a cool yet firm wrap of fingers around her shoulder distracted her from her offering.

"I wouldn't do that," The Snow Priestess intoned, appearing behind Tsukune's servant, "He is not ready to receive any kind of treatment in that way. Come. Let's get him comfortable and we can talk to Mikogami afterwards. We have a lot to discuss."

Frowning at the turn of events, Ruby decided that the enigmatic smile of the Snow Priestess spoke of a confidence she did not feel. However, if she was just asking to have her Master rest when he was obviously not feeling well, it would be safe to say that it was not something Ruby would veto.

It still wouldn't stop Ruby from sitting next to her Master's side and ensure she was the first face he saw. Any needs he would seek of her would be fulfilled in haste.

Orderlies and nurses were already swarming around Tsukune, putting him on a hospital bed to transport him to another room, they were snapping off vital signs and calling off room numbers to take him.

The Headmaster's ex aide would see Yukari and have her questions answered later.

Sighing in frustration, Ruby followed the staff helping her master. Walking close behind the chattering nurses, Ruby realized she was tired of hospitals. Rarely did anything good come from visiting them.


	13. Ch 13 To Follow Blindly Or Not

Take What Is Yours

Chapter 13 To Follow Blindly Or Not

It was the oddest sound.

He tried to place it, but it was just something that he could not put his finger on at the moment.

Rustle…flip…

Tsukune's was sure there were several spikes pin cushioning his head and almost every part of his body felt like something metallic was slithering under his skin. Even his nails hurt!

Why would he feel this way?

Rustle…flip…rustle…flip…rustle…flip…

Heavy eyelids kept him from seeing no more then little slivers or peeks at a time. He even tried to shift himself towards the noise, only to realized the room he was occupying was dark and the source of the sound was near a small light.

Cocooned like some larvae, Tsukune found sheets were keeping him securely in place because of one simple reason: he barely had the strength to get them off.

Where was he?

The scent of something chemical…

…sanitizing agent and antiseptic?

Then someone's scent that was all too familiar. Lacking in himself was the sweat and most recent intimate excursions of his time at the Snow Village.

"Master?"

Toujou Ruby was close by the light, easing herself by his side from a chair to take his hand into her cool smooth ones. That simple touch was a nice reprieve to the near fever he felt subduing him.

He tried to move his lips again but they felt numb.

What happened again?

Images came back to him. Faces, so many faces, all of them beautiful women, yukki-onna to be precise, and they were all twisted in some form of pleasured agony. Among those faces were Mizore and then Tsurara, her mother…and someone else...

Gin's.

Hissing his breath quickly, he tried to launch himself out of bed only to attack the thought of that person he saw, however a lightening bolts worth of pain reminded him of the state he was suffering.

Locked with muscle shredding nerves rebelling against his commands, he was sure every fiber of his body was embedded with glass and he just opened them with his attempt to rise.

"Master!"

A soft glowing ember colored light hovered just in his sight, allowing warmth to spread through him, giving him strength to open his eyes and take in the concerned dark red purple colored eyes of his worried servant.

Dutifully, she lowered her eyes to him, entwining his hands with hers that were still alight with her power. Thin coal eyebrows were pinched, studying him with her full focus to ease any pain he might still be enduring.

Whatever she was doing was helping.

Blurry details came to him, one of which caught his attention. On the little nightstand within her arm's reach was a folder she had been sifting through.

That was the sound he heard, her turning pages.

"Where am I?" He asked thickly, trying to squint past the darkness.

The sanitation agent should have given it away.

"We're back in the hospital, Master," Ruby offered in perfect submission, one hand casually gesturing to their surroundings. "How do you feel?"

He tried to move a limb here and there, but all could do is feel needles and spasms erupt from his limbs.

"I feel like I've been ran over," He winced, instantly falling back into the comfortable pillow that had been tucked.

His dark haired servant hovered around him, touching him here and there, offering little sounds of empathy.

She really was very good at caring for him.

"The nurses have stopped coming by after removing the bags of medicine." She pointed out the little marks on his arms that showed where he had been stabbed, which surprised him because such small wounds should have healed. "After that, the Headmaster gave me this file for me to read. I've been going over it the last three days…"

"Three days?" He shot up only to be reminded of the pains from earlier, staring from his core to protest violently and a spasm ripped through him like splinters of bone fracturing inside of him.

Ruby didn't have to try very hard to placate him back into the pillows behind him.

"You must rest, Master," She cooed, brushing the dark locks of hair from his pale brow, "You have strained yourself beyond measure."

Licking his dry lips, Ruby was already thinking ahead and fetched him some tea. Try as he might, he didn't even have the strength to hold it let alone take it from her. Without any judgment or signs of impatience, Ruby helped him sip by putting the cup to his lips.

A towel was readily waiting for his lips when he spilled a little.

"What happened to me?" he finally asked after a few struggled swallows, still keeping his eyes cracked open.

"From what I was able to gather, Master," She tapped the folder, "the Shinso power is unique to the wielder and can have some kind of mental instability if not properly nurtured."

"Nurtured?" he winced.

Ruby nodded, "There is very little that is understood about the blood line since Bloodriver Akasha has only divulged bits and pieces of it in her own hand and Moka has not left anything to be examined except what was received from medical attention here, but one thing is constant is its inconsistency."

Aono Tsukune gazed back lacking any comprehension.

"Basically," She began in a gentle lecture, "it evolves differently in each person to person based upon various factors. From what I can tell, it probably has a lot to do with one's own character and disposition. From what I have been able to observe, Tsukune," Ruby tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice, "You may not be in the best mindset for the Shinso bloodline right now. Strong negative emotions, such as jealousy and anger, could cause you to hurt someone. Maybe… maybe even kill them if the emotions are strong enough. The more powerful the emotion, the more aggressive the influence of the Shinso blood on its host."

Tsukune wasn't sure what Ruby had been studying in that folder, but he was positive that the information was precise.

_If the Snow Priestess hadn't been there, _Tsukune thought. _What would I have done? _

Tsukune had put Mizore and the maidens through a lecherous and amorous event that was something he would and could not see himself do in a million years. Along that line of thought, he couldn't help but think about Moka and her uncharacteristic development with Gin.

Could it be...?

"Go ahead and tell her, _Master_ Aono," The Snow Priestess appeared at his doorway, leaning with her arms crossed and smiling that knowing grin of hers. At her feet was some kind of box. "How _did_ you respond when you took Mizore to Maiden's Hall and then had your way with her and the other maidens there? How, exactly, did you respond when you saw Gin?"

His body tensed when he saw her, reflecting the frustration he felt at being revealed so bluntly to his friend and how she had denied his wish when he could practically taste retribution just inches away.

"Aaaaaah!" He crumbled back into the bed, unable to do more than suffer. "What's happening to me? What did you do?" He gasped, feeling a chaotic spasm erupt through him.

Ruby's hands were aglow again, trying to ease him however she could.

"Nothing, at least nothing as devious as you seem to think I would purposely do, Tsukune." The Snow Priestess chuckled without humor, gliding herself over to him with the box she had in her hands. "You simply are beyond exhausted and about seventy eight percent of your muscle fibers have been ripped."

When her two pairs of eyes looked back at her without comprehension, she explained in a little more detail. "Think of it like this, how would a body normally feel after enduring several marathons, extreme forms of wrestling, and with absolutely no previous conditioning to prepare for? Yes, you are a vampire, but, when you wield the Shinso bloodline, you couldn't believe how unprepared your constitution is. Basically, you were able to do feats that surpass even vampire capability, but you will feel the affects as a normal human would. I'm sure you could tell how taxing it was on Outer Moka after just a few minutes enduring her natural state, so why would you not suffer the same consequences when she has had her whole life training for it and you have only activated it a few days ago?"

Ruby and Tsukune could only wonder at just how much she _really_ knew about what was happening to him.

"You were at your breaking point, Tsukune," She began, pacing along the side of his bed to take one of his hands into her own, examining his knuckles and fingertips. "and had I not intervened you would have humiliated yourself by collapsing right in front of the snow maidens, Gin and be as helpless as you are now."

Letting that thought sink in, she continued.

"It is possible that you could have had just enough stamina left to conclude the desired retribution, Master Aono, however I don't think you would have liked to murder him. I will tell you now, it is not the disposition I will allow for the guardian of my people."

Tsukune didn't try to deny how right she was about wanting to commit murder, so he simply reflected if that was, in fact, something he had wanted to do. Did he still feel that way now? He wasn't sure, but he was glad that he had not taken Gin's life.

Moka's child would need their father.

"Would you have preferred that instead?" She asked, reading his expression.

Her temper and her tone changed to that of heightened displeasure, "Acts of petty revenge are beyond your purpose, Tsukune. There is a destiny for you greater then you could possibly comprehend and not only my people need you but others will seek you as a protector against those who would harm them. You must be beyond measure of moral and ethical questioning."

Straightening her shoulders, she stood before him expelling a power that reflected from her deep ice burg blue eyes, "One day, this world will need you in a capacity you have to be ready for."

Smoothing a fringe that fell over her eyes, she spoke mildly to him, "While I acted in the interests of my people, I also took you away for your own as well Tsukune."

Ruby and Tsukune took in each other's unspoken words when Ruby spoke for him, "His own interests? Did you know this was all going to happen?"

The Snow Priestess simply shrugged. "I had my suspicions if you and Gin actually met the potential for you to commit violence would be high. Remember, I did have Mikogami send him there to incite your passions."

Her audience gave her a ghostly gaze, expecting some kind of mystical reason.

"No, I didn't have a prophesy explaining that you were going to bring 'death or hell' to Gin, if that is what you are wondering." She dismissed with a flick of her fingers. "I simply knew his intentions, his character and the likely effects of the bloodline would cause after everything you did to those expecting maidens. You and those dozen plus one weren't exactly making love in there. Where you, Tsukune? In fact, I'd have to say that your sexual endeavors were 'demonic'."

When he didn't answer, the priestess continued. "While you may have had the time of your life there, Tsukune, many of my maidens are in their homes and going through their own recuperative sessions. I had hoped you would have taken their situation with the compassion you normally would, but I will honestly say you taking your frustrations out on them really pushed them beyond their limits."

When he said nothing, she continued aimlessly, "I hope you enjoyed your ego filling, sex spree, but it does come with consequences outside of the obvious. This little tryst was for a cause each one of them was ready to participate in for the sake of the village and our people. One of consequences being, while you are in your new form, is the reactions the current state of mind has: the claiming you had on all of those women and sensing another male that had already taken a spouse from you. Do I need to explain how most males in nature feel when their women are in threat of being taken by another male?"

Tsukune thought about this and how he had first responded when Gin entered their home. Had Gin just appeared at his door with Moka pushing the werewolf away, there would have been no contest or question to what he would have done to protect Moka. However, when Moka brought him in...

...it really was a different story all together.

"It really wasn't hard to figure out." The Snow Priestess finished her explanation, letting her own words and his own thoughts settle in his mind.

"Now what?" Tsukune asked as he rested himself, licking his lips thirstily.

"Now, you simply recover and wait for further instructions from us. Do you have anything better to do?" She offered lightly.

Tsukune gave a simple nod. "I would like to see my friends and my family, including the Shuzen Clan. I bet they would want to know that I am alive."

"I'm sure they would," The Snow Priestess answered with a small bit of frustration, "However, there are more important matters at hand, some of which you are still ignorant of. As you can very well see, you are not ready to take on the tasks that will come before you. The Headmaster and I can guide you down the proper path. What else is more important then that?"

When the answer didn't come right away, Ruby reminded him of certain things. "He said he would seek out Kurumu to become the Destined One she deserves and he would," the elder witch blushed prettily at the next answer, "restore the mansion at Witch's Knoll."

Sinking himself deeper into the pillows, he could feel the memories coming back to him. "I remember."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Master!" Ruby quickly amended, letting him know that it was his chance to be let off the hook if he wanted.

Shaking his head, he took Ruby's hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I promised you I would, Ruby. I won't turn back on it. You, my friend, deserve it."

Unable to contain her joy, Ruby's pony tails bounced when she leaned into Tsukune's side as careful yet as bodily as possible to hold him, "Thank you, Master!"

She was so happy, so vulnerably open to him…

…and her scent was just amazing.

The dark haired witch even went as far as pulling at her choker, her fingers trembling in anticipation when she felt his labored breathing at her neck.

"Stop!" The Snow Priestess called out before Tsukune's maw could feast upon his servant.

"Eh?" Ruby and Tsukune looked up in confusion, both were ready to complete the deed.

From a small ice packed cooler at her feet, the Snow Priestess dropped the clunky box on Tsukune's lap and opened it for him. "Bon Appetite."

Inside were transfusion packets of different blood types.

While Tsukune had not turned his nose up to it right away, he tried to politely think of a way to explain that he would much rather have the real thing from the source. Cold lifeless blood could satisfy his nutritional needs and his hunger. It could not compare though to vitalizing feel of the heated blood taken while their heart pumped it into his own awaiting mouth. To a vampire, the difference was comparable to having some crackers with juice against having a gourmet seven course meal.

The Snow Priestess was, again, one step ahead of him.

"Tsukune," She lectured, "you have become spoiled by all of your little friends offering themselves to you at your whim. While that is great news for most vampires, the Shinso blood line has to be trained, like a child who would prefer to eat sweets instead of vegetables or meat, you can not become attached to that kind of feeding because 'it' will become dependent on it. You must seek blood away from the source so it will curb the need for such early on and instead accept feeding from a transfusion pack. It's a safety precaution. Do you understand that if you don't while in Shinso form you very well could seek out any living person for the sake of curbing your appetite?"

Sadly, both Ruby and Tsukune accepted the logic, realizing they could potentially evolve the blood in him to purposely seek out only sentient and live sources, but that didn't mean that he would much rather enjoy steak then jerky any day.

Grumbling in acceptance, his two teeth sunk into the cold packet and begrudgingly began to drink.

While he did so, Ruby patted his back. "What do we do now?"

"What else?" Tsukune mumbled around the cold plastic, "I keep my promises."

The Snow Priestess stood there not completely pleased with things. "It's fine, for now, to take care of your own agenda and see your friends, but keep in mind Tsukune that you can't afford to just take care of these little things in your life. You are not ready for the tasks that lay ahead."

"I won't," He gave Ruby's hand a gentle squeeze. "But my friends have always been precious to me, just like my family. My rebirth is something that they should be made aware of. I know if they knew about it, they would be more then glad to know I was not killed."

Thinking about it, he realized, "What about Kurumu? Does she know I was killed? My mom? How about my Lord Father and my sisters?"

"Mikogami has ordered that your 'death' is not to be discussed for at least a month. In that time, he will give further instructions."

Frowning, he didn't have to guess if what he was told was true. Ruby was already nodding in agreement.

"He gave me time so I could 'train up' for whatever you are worried about, didn't he?"

"Yes,"

"Is it so wrong to want to see my family or friends?" He squeezed Ruby's hands, "I got to see Mizore and I'm sure Aghea will want to let Kurumu-chan know what happened. There's no telling how they're taking this. And my mom," He sighed deeply, "I was supposed to meet her over two weeks ago and I haven't called her or anything. These things are very important and I need to at least let them know I'm okay."

"That is not what I am referring to Tsukune," the Snow Priestess said trying to curtail her frustration. "You weren't given a second chance just for your own sake."

Tsukune looked at the Snow Priestess with greater understanding than she'd expected. He also looked at her with greater apathy.

"Which really means you want to be sure I'll do what you and the Chairman want."

"It's for a greater good you couldn't begin to understand, Tsukune."

"A greater good I can't understand? If you had this power and you knew Moka would do this to me, then what greater good would be better then warning me about it and then _asking_ me to help you?"

"It doesn't work that way, Tsukune. I only know certain things and triggers, not exactly full detailed events."

Frowning, Tsukune sat himself up and spoke clearly. "I don't know what you and the Headmaster have in mind, but so far everything from the Snow Maiden's expedition that just happened, to pushing me to follow your directions without question, and then not expecting me to at least tell people who care about me that I'm okay is starting to upset me. At what point is my life going to be mine?"

"There is a responsibility that-"

"Yes, I get it, I'm important but how and when?"

"As I said, it's complicated."

"Then uncomplicated it for me." Tsukune's look hardened and a slight growl exited his throat.

Ruby began to stroke the back of his neck, keeping her eyes on the Snow Priestess's glower of disapproval. "You can't make my Master do anything he doesn't want to."

"Tsukune needs to trust us. We have only good intentions." She turned her attention to Tsukune's protective servant.

"Good intentions or no, I think it's time for _me_ to decide what is or is not good for myself and other's I wish to help," Tsukune muttered, leaning back into the comfort of the bed. "I've been used before; by Hokuto, by Ria, and by the Headmaster back when I was still a student. Each time I almost died so that someone else could get what they wanted. While I don't mind helping anyone, I _will_ know to what purpose and for what cause without illusions or tricks. Understand?"

Seeing Tsukune push the Snow Priestess into a corner, she decided some 'pushing of her own was in order.'

"You know Tsukune, I _could_ make Mizore one of my acolytes," the Snow Priestess said offhandedly. "I doubt she would have much free time to spend with her family or precious friends."

"That's fine," Tsukne replied, matching her tone while seeing through the veiled threat. "I _could_ go and pay Lord Akashiya a visit and just tell him the _whole_ truth. Including the fact he was deliberately deceived by the Headmaster when Moka first came into Youkai and that I have the Shinso bloodline. I'm sure he would be very happy to hear how all of this was staged."

The Snow Priestess sucked in her breath, already seeing the consequences of that action and its future. "That would be a very bad idea Tsukune."

"So is threatening Mizore to try and make me obedient."

"Tsukune, while I admit your time here has been hard and unfair at times, I am not the enemy!" The Priestess clenched her fists, "Mikogami and I have only done what was needed for the greater good!"

"Maybe," Tsukune admitted. "It's hard to tell since I seem to be just a piece on the board for the two of you."

"All we want is what is for the best Tsukune, you need to trust us."

"Fine, you want me to trust you? Then you trust me first. Inform me and stop insisting I do something without reason."

The Snow Priestess frowned, seeing the cycle was not going to break without some kind of strategy. "What do you mean?"

"Tell me the truth."

"There are some truths you may or may not be prepared for, Tsukune. All I can tell you is that Mikogami and I have to be sure you are mentally prepared for it. Remember, you now have the Shinso bloodline and would make a horrible enemy."

"Is what you have to tell me so horrible?" He wondered.

"That's just it, Tsukune, we have to make sure." She responded cautiously, with Ruby glaring at her appraisingly. "It would be unwise to let you do what you want without knowing your intentions."

"Then you can see how I feel. What amazing powers you and the Headmaster have compared to my own and yet I'm supposed to ultimately trust you when you've proven again and again that you are only letting me in on enough information to do what you want. How about we do something simple like give each other full disclosure? You seem to know everything about me, so why can't I know more about you two?"

"I think we've told you enough for you to understand our needs quite fine, Tsukune."

Ruby's eyes glowed a dangerous fuchsia.

"This is where you and I come to a disagreement, Priestess." Tsukune leaned back into the pillow, handing the transfusion packs to Ruby and she disposed of them properly. "Just so you know, I'm not going to do anything more then what I've already promised that day, so anything else you expect from me will not be done. Now if you don't mind, I'm very tired. I'd like to rest now."

The Snow Priestess opened her mouth to continue but Ruby interrupted by standing up and purposely putting herself between Tsukune and the Yukki Onna's holy leader. "My master needs his rest." Ruby's scepter appeared from the ether to her hands to express her point.

"Very well," he Snow priestess fumed, but retreated quietly. "Don't think though that you can avoid the storm indefinitely Tsukune. You believe I'm being pushy, but time will catch up to all of us and we can only regret not acting when he had the chance."

Saying that, Tsukune couldn't help but think back to Moka and what she did to him.

"Maybe so," Tsukune said wearily. "But I will do as I must after talking with the Headmaster and fulfilling my promises. There are some things worth fighting for and others that I should not interfere with."


	14. Ch 14 A Little Drive

Take What Is Yours

Chapter 14 A Little Drive

**Two days back...**

This was something unusual for Gin.

He never waited, usually the girls waited for him. Okay, they ALWAYS waited for him.

Why?

Simply put, he would get bored and find someone else to occupy his time. It wasn't as if he didn't have a long list to choose from. Once he showed them what he could do to their bodies they were _always _begging for more.

Right now though, he wasn't so much focused on the waiting as on who he was waiting for.

Aono Moka.

At least, he thought it was still Aono. Whatever she and her husband were going through now couldn't be good if Tsukune was in the Snow Village fucking a dozen snow women that included his old stalker friend plus her mother. That had only been a couple days ago, but it _still_ rubbed him raw that Mizore had not only let Tsukune screw her until she could barely walk, but had also been planning to take his little soldiers out of a cup to be inseminated.

He had not wanted much of a legacy, but he sure as hell would have liked to be recognized as a hero with the perk of having a little harem of women know him for the man he was. Now, while no one said it to him outright, he felt like everyone in that hall was laughing at him.

If Tsukune hadn't been out to rip his head off following the, ah, 'incident' with Moka, Gin would have given the guy a high five and bought him a beer. He would have actually liked to have just hung out with Tsukune and listened to the details. (He had always pictured Mizore as a screamer with her soft as a whisper voice and would like to know if her sucking on lollipops all that time had made her as skilled as he thought she could be.) Circumstances being what they were now, seeing Tsukune again wouldn't be such a good idea.

From the look on his once best friend's face, Tsukune had appeared to be at a breaking point. Gin felt no guilt about that. Tsukune had made his own choices and only had himself to blame if he was suffering.

Still, it did leave him to wonder what Moka had wanted to talk about. He knew it was going to involve some tears or heated threats, possibly telling him it was all his fault to begging him to help her get Tsukune back.

He'd seen it all before, **lots **of times. The women who were the most eager to teach their men a lesson were usually the ones who felt the most regret later.

Whatever Moka had to say he would hear her out, but not without some kind of payment.

Shifting his bag again, he couldn't wait to put that camera to use. His audience was getting antsy and he had a promise to keep. That didn't mean he wasn't prepared to jump ship should things turn south.

Despite all his bravado, one thing Gin had to learned while taking on large mobs of thugs, ex boyfriends, money collectors or extremely pissed off husbands was when to cut and run. He loved a good fight, but didn't believe in taking stupid chances.

No less than seven directions were available to him should he need to get out of harm's way. There were also plenty of public establishments he could safely disappear into.

Should he need it, of course.

Yeah, he was playing with fire by messing with Moka and Tsukune, two very powerful vampires. One just might want to kill him and the other one had never had a problem kicking his ass for any little reason. He hoped Moka would be level headed enough to keep the old rule of 'no monster presence' while in the human world.

With that thought in mind, would a normally level headed Moka sleep with him while forcing her husband to bear witness?

No, maybe she wasn't at her most rational...

Coming around the bend was a large modern vehicle, Cadillac he presumed by the massive girth of it. Blood red, dark tinted windows, and with an elegant, no non sense air about it, he was sure Moka was in there.

Now, Gin knew Moka was from money. It was never really understood how much, mainly because it was a superficial thing that paled in comparison to her shy, quiet natured beauty.

What amount of money could compete to the soft, trim length of her thighs, or the lush, fuchsia pink locks of her hair, that scent, those supple breasts with...

A hand covered his mouth before he found himself drooling at their soon to be meeting.

He couldn't wait to get another taste of her...

The bag he wore over his shoulder felt very comfortable now.

...and have memories to last a lifetime.

The driver's door opened for a tall, slender man to smoothly greet Gin, asking politely in a musical voice that was definitely not of a human origin.

Elven, he was sure of it.

"Morioka Ginei?"

Now, he couldn't wait to get in the car. It was like a flashback to Moka's wedding, those sisters of hers and her father. Royalty was not a concept natural to Gin. He had grown up in a world where you earned what you lost or you took it. No one gave you anything just because you were born. It was a word that described Moka though, she was monster royalty in every sense.

He had first really understood it when he's attended her wedding. Her father Lord Issa Akashiya had spent a small fortune on it. (Honestly, who the hell gets Celine Dion as a wedding singer?) It was not a belligerent show of money, but enough to let Tsukune's parents know that, yes, their daughter had money and that their son's future was assured.

Everything had been golden.

Now, however...

"Yes, that's me."

"Master Morioka, would you please join us?" The driver opened the door, giving a formal bow with a gesture to enter.

Inside, Gin found who was seeking him out and realized this may not been the meeting he was expecting.

Outer Moka was sitting on the far end of the seat, staring out the other side of the window with her back to him, not smiling at him, not even acknowledging him.

Nothing of the Moka he knew from the Academy or their wedding was present. This woman was just there.

An odd smell came off of her, but Gin dismissed it as a result of her emotional state. Fear had a smell, so did love, hate, anxiety, or peace, but this was a little off. There was depression, regret, confusion, and more than a trace of anger. There was something else there too though; hidden beneath the other scents.

He didn't try to sort it all out. As much as it irked him, he really didn't want to get involved with her right now if she was going to be depressing. Still, he was already here, so he would have to ride it out as best he could. Since what had happened had obviously left Moka as damaged goods, it was the least he could do to hear her out and let her sling whatever blame she wanted at him. (Provided the rosario stayed in place.)

That was fine just so long as he got what he wanted like last time.

Women in different emotional states were usually easy to manipulate if you were patient and knew which strings to pull. He knew this from experience. Now, however, as he bent himself to sit down next to her and hear the door close, he gave her a nice smile to see where it would go from here.

When the limo driver got back in and the car and took off, Gin had his own suspicions as to where he was told to go. Moka had not requested a place for them to stop and she had yet to ask him for a preference.

Where was she taking them?

"How have you been?" He asked, thinking it would be best to be polite to start.

Now she turned to look at him and gave a turn of her lips in a halfhearted attempt a smile.

"I need to apologize to you," She said, looking down at her hand where her ring still glittered on her finger. "I shouldn't have involved you in any of this. It's my fault, Gin. I'm sorry for asking you there that night."

Gin cautiously looked out the window to see if he knew where they were going. Her apology made him skeptical. None of the women who wound up regretting things had ever apologized to him. It was always either his fault or he was just inconsequential.

"It's in the past, Moka." He accepted easily enough. It wasn't like he wouldn't mind another tumble if it was available. "How are things? Did you two make up?" He knew the answer to that of course. He didn't think Tsukune would be plowing Mizore and her mom if he was trying to fix things at home.

The color in her face drained away, leaving one lone tear to fall from her cheek as she looked out the window again. "Tsukune's...gone."

_Yeah I know, _Gin thought. He wasn't going to tell her what Tsukune was up to these days. It wouldn't help her state of mind and he was not cruel when he didn't need to be. Her smooth, soft hands shook as if they were palsied, her voice hitched with ache and pain. While Gin knew as well as anyone that she had instigated the whole thing, it was obvious she had not thought everything through.

"If it helps, Moka," Gin pushed his hand through his hair and looked outside the window, "I think I should take a moment to apologize as well."

Her long pink haired head turned to him, green eyes squinting curiously. "Why?"

Leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees, he looked at her with a seriousness that was normally not associated with him, "Because I knew you didn't want to do anything and I kind of pushed you to."

Moka blinked at him, shaking her head. "I didn't intend things to go that far, but what you did..."

"Moka," Gin reached out and took her hand, feeling the soft feminine feel of her skin over his fingers in a gentle way, an affectionate way. "I know you didn't."

A small self depreciating chuckle escaped her lips. "You're the only one then. No one believes me."

"I believe you. I was there." Gin shared his own thoughts, quietly retelling what no one else but the two of them knew that night. "You looked away as soon as we closed the door behind us. When we kissed, you weren't kiss me so much as putting your lips on mine as if I tasted horrible."

He chuckled a little, trying to make what happened that night seem lighter then what it was. Everything in her body said it was a moment in his time that was easier to deal with for him then it was for her.

"I could hear your thoughts when ever we touched as well as your words, 'Stop me, Tsukune. Please, please, stop me.' I saw you looking towards the door often, and when we fell into bed you never looked at me once. You kept your eyes always on where he was and you were crying. When I told you that I have always wanted to make love to you, you covered your face with your hands and said, 'I know Gin.' After that, you kept saying over and over again, so softly that only I could hear because I was so close to you, 'Make this stop, Tsukune. Please, make this stop and get me out of here. I don't want to do this. I'm sorry for doing this, please stop me."

Moka touched her lips with her free hand and shook her head. "I don't even remember saying that."

"You wouldn't," Gin shrugged, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You were just mouthing the words and it wasn't easy to hear after how hard we were going at it. When I asked you if he was still there, I saw your eyes open as if someone slapped you awake. When you said that you didn't know, I could see reality come back to your eyes. It was as if you just found yourself in a situation you shouldn't be in. When I kissed you, everything we did just came into focus for you then the anger came back into your eyes. You really hadn't wanted it and I didn't do anything to stop you."

There was a change of color in her green eyes, one that he was ready for and was going to accept as soon as she said it.

_Why didn't you stop?_

The words were not spoken, but it was there on her face as clear as day. Before he could defend himself, she spoke in his place.

"I don't blame you, Gin. You were only doing what I had asked you to do."

"Yeah, but I didn't stop when I should have as a friend." Gin lounged himself in the back of the leather seat, looking out the window and into the sky. "I let my own pride get in the way of you two. Now look at what has become of it."

Moka studied him, taking in his posture and his words. "I wasn't brave enough to stop what I was doing once I kissed you."

"I know." Gin answered simply, "To him, it may have seemed a passionate embrace, but I can tell when a woman is just using me for revenge. You're not the first."

Moka took her hand away from his, rubbing the spot on her palms where he had touched her. "What do you mean?"

"Just as I said before," He rolled his hand as if to roll back time. "Everything about you was forced. No one put a gun to your head, but you were just like so many other women who come to me to get back at their significant others. They're not doing it because they want me but because of my reputation." He shrugged. "Which is fine, because no matter what the reason, I still get to have my fun."

Her hand closed tightly, her eyes pinched with anger.

Gin knew he had to push her buttons a little to get some feeling in her heart. "It's my own fault, but was that all I was to you Gin? A little fun?"

"At first Moka, no, it wasn't at all. It was just something," He tried to think of the proper word, "that you needed to have done and I was not about to complain. That night, after you stopped calling out for Tsukune and realized what had happened, you let yourself go and didn't care about the consequences. Basically, like falling into a river with all your clothes on and, deciding, since you're already wet, why not have a swim? Does that make sense?"

Nodding, Moka pulled her long pink hair over her shoulder. "I'm not going to lie, Gin. You were everything I needed to distract myself after Tsukune left. When he was gone, I thought about things that I shouldn't have."

"Oh?"

"I...I thought that if Tsukune wouldn't let me raise my child as I saw fit, then maybe you would. I actually wanted to try and have a relationship with you because of what I had done, but that only made me even more heartless. I was so stupid." Large jade green eyes took him in, appraising him studiously. "If you had a child, would you allow him to be raised around humans or would you want him raised around your own kind for a bit?"

Gin rubbed at his chin, thinking about Sun and where she lived. Yes, there were a lot of humans in that area, but they were all good people and had accepted Sun as part of their own. It wouldn't be hard to exist with them.

However...

"I honestly haven't put too much thought into it, Moka." Gin answered easily. "I mean, seriously, can you see me as a father? No, I wouldn't do that to a kid or his mother, especially when I don't have a clue how to be one in the first place."

Disappointed, expected disappointment creased her brow. "I see."

Chuckling, he patted her thigh, "You didn't expect me to actually be one, did you?"

Now was the perfect time to tell him, however, she decided to look away instead. Moka couldn't tell him that Tsukune knew she was pregnant with their child and the last words to her was the confirmation of what was now another irreversible mistake caused by her actions.

"It would be wrong for me to even consider it since I deliberately told you all I wanted was your seed." She answered glumly.

Pushing his bag with his toe on the floor of the car, he looked around outside. "You can't say we didn't have some fun afterwards, right?"

Moka shrugged, not really ready to bolster Gin's ego for the sake of what happened. She already admitted to enjoying herself with Aghea, but it was the catalyst that brought about Tsukune's demise. How could she live with herself after her actions brought about his death.

Since she didn't answer, he asked, "So where are you taking us?"

"Hm?" She looked up at him, missing another moment to tell him so many things.

"We're going somewhere?" He reminded gently.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Moka shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted to talk to you without any interruptions. We're just driving around till I tell my driver to stop."

Gin watched her hands bunch up a handkerchief that had been resting at her side.

"Would you mind if I took you out for a little fun?" Gin smiled at her, instantly receiving a look of suspicion.

He raised a hand to calm her.

"Look, I can tell you're upset and, as much as I hate to say it, if you and Tsukune are not going to get back together then what would it hurt to just go out and try to smile for a bit, hmm?"

Moka's large green eyes blinked cautiously.

"I know a little place that serves nice desserts, teas, and has Karaoke. I go there a few times to blow off steam and dance. There's absolutely no alcohol and some of the college kids go there to hang out. My treat. What do you say?"

Moka glanced at her watch and then at him. Everything she had wanted to know was basically laid out for her. She, at least, had someone to finally agree with her that everything that happened that night wasn't exactly what she had intended and she confirmed that Gin would not want to have any kind of relationship with a child because he wasn't ready.

Still, there were a few more questions she wanted to ask, but, she had to ask herself, was she being fair by having him stick by her when he really had no obligation to.

Plus, he just wanted to cheer her up. Who has offered to do that lately?

If she went home, who would she have to go home to?

No one.

With a deep sigh, she nodded her head.

"Alright, Gin."


	15. Ch 15 An Open Pocketbook

X

AN:Songs Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis and September by Earth, Wind, and Fire are not own by me and are not used for profit. By the way, they are also great songs to dance to!

Your Mistress.

* * *

Take What Is Yours

Chapter 15 An Open Pocket Book

"We're here, Baron," The elven driver spoke quietly into a cellphone, leaning against the crimson red fender of the Cadillac. Listening to the voice on the other end, he nodded to the instructions and answered accordingly.

"There seems to be some kind of discourse between Mother Akasha's daughter and this fellow Morioka Ginei. We're here at the 'Sing It Loud' Karaoke lounge. I haven't had a chance to go over the video I recorded of them in the back, but from what I can tell these two had an affair and Moka's husband has left her. I have no doubt Issa and Akasha are more then aware of this and Moka has more to tell her 'lover' then what she is letting on."

More instructions came back through the phone and the driver straightened. "A summons for a vampire council meeting? I will keep a sharp eye on anything else you need to know, Baron."

A nervous look came over the elf's slender face, "No, Baron, Mother Akasha doesn't know I am working for you."

Another question came to him. "Of course I won't, Baron. You are my master."

Seemingly pleased, the elf quieted to listen to more instructions. "You want me to seek out more information about Moka's lover? Yes, Baron."

* * *

Moka sat in a chair just a little off to the right of the Karaoke stage with Gin belting out an American song that had a very lively beat. Despite her morose week and dejected outlook at her current situation, she had to admit...

_"~...Kiss me, Baby...Ooooooh, feels good!~ Hold me, baby! Yeeeeeaaaah, I want to love you like a lover should!~"_

With hair flung about in a glorious mess and his sultry dark brown eyes focused on Moka, Gin air 'piano'd' with one hand and sung passionately into the microphone.

_"~You're fine! So kind! Gotta tell this world you're mine! Mine! Mine!~"_

...Gin was entertaining to watch.

She tapped her shoe to the outrageous flurry of piano keys coming from the speakers. His performance was so humorously spectacular that, despite the fact the room was supposed to be private, some of the other occupied booths heard or knew of Gin in someway due to his constant visits and very outlandish and unreserved energy, were stoutly cheering for him from guys and girls alike.

A nice group of panting, squealing, lustily applauding young debutantes were in the front to coax him to get wilder and louder.

The young werewolf didn't disappoint.

_"~Goodness gracious, Great Balls Of Fire!~"_

While in the midst of a grand air piano solo, Moka sat quietly, trying to decipher who and what Gin was. It wasn't hard to understand why he enjoyed this kind of attention. Handsome, charismatic, and charming, he really didn't need to work all that hard to find a nice partner to share his life with...

His eyes roamed from one hungry morsel of a girl to the next. It was there, in his cunning brown eyes that she could very well read her own answer.

Morikoa Ginei had his choice to savor almost any and all that was presented to him like a gluttonous buffet.

...if he wanted one.

With her hand resting on her belly, she wondered how much of the child growing inside of her was this person purposely making a fool out of himself to garner the attention of this estrogen mob. She honestly didn't know, but the idea that this boy she knew from her Academy years was on stage was physically bound to her DNA to create a life inside of her made Moka all too aware that her life was forever joined with his.

And it wouldn't be if she had not only been smarter but stronger.

The song ended and another one was coming up, pairing partners to dance with another. Gin let another group sing in concert to a song with a very happy blare of trumpets and other assorted wind instruments. Diving through a throng of girls offering themselves to dance with him, he shot past them only to catch Moka's hand and grin in a very familiar way that made him one of the heart throbs of the Academy. Without any warning or permission, he pulled her onto her feet and gripped her around the waist after a quick off balance spin. She squeaked a protest but soon found herself flushed against him to slide to a beat that she wasn't familiar to, but could help feel lighter as the words struck her and his light hearted carelessness distracted her.

_~~"Do you remember?~~_

_~~When it was, like, September?~~_

_~~Love was changing the lives of pretenders...~~_

_~~...while chasing the clouds away..." ~~_

She hated herself for so many reasons, but, for this moment, she wondered how much of that hatred was her still reeling with the idea that her husband had, only three days ago, died in her arms and now she was back dancing with the man who she invited to the freak show of her pride?

_~~"As we dance in the night, remember..._

_...how the stars stole the night away..."~~_

_It would be easy, _She told herself, letting Gin guide her as he held her close with everyone swaying and keeping pace with the song. _Forget everything and just be lulled, enjoy what is here and take what I can. I started this and now here I am, with Gin, back full circle with the man I destroyed my whole family and my future with just so I can see who and what Gin really is._

Their eyes met.

Confidence. Grinning back at her in that semi smug smile and all knowing squint of his eyes, she could tell this was something he had probably done many times before with other girls and, as she was loathe to admit, it was easily luring her into the same sense of attraction.

He leaned in close, eyes narrowing and lips parted. Whines and cheers got louder the closer he got to her...

A kiss, he was going to give her one.

_~~"So do you remember?"~~_

His hand closed in around her waist, pulling her to align with him, just like _that_ night.

_~~"Dancing in September..."~~_

She may have been an utter fool then, but, by whatever means she could to prove to her husband's spirit in heaven or whoever sees her now, she was _not_ going to be that fool again_. _

Turning away, she saw the deep disappointment in his eyes. Deciding that her rejection would probably be the end of their night, she was surprised to feel him pull her closer still and say, "Lets do something a little dangerous."

While a part of her was glad he didn't take her rejection too harshly, (she had done it who knew how many times back when they were at the Academy) she was surprised when he called out to everyone, "Lets go to the club Substandard! I'll put on a show for everyone!"

Cheers erupted, when he pushed her off of him, twirled her into his arms again to hold her from behind with another wide eyed squeak, "Mind if we take the limo?"

Her jaw moved, but she realized she had gotten herself into this mess and still didn't get what she had came for. So far, she had not fallen to any of his charms. It did worry her that it would be harder then this, but she was glad it was just as easy to put him at arms length as it had been about five or so years ago.

Why had she even allowed herself to be blind to it then when it was still so easy for her now?

A part of her told her it was for the sake of her and Tsukune's children...

...the other part of her mocked her at what an unbelievable fool she was.

Looking at him though, feeling his warmth...

...everything about him...

...his scent, the strength in his fingers, and the way he hungrily looked at her lips remind her of that forbidden night.

One of her shoulder's shrugged upwards, "I don't mind."

"Thank you," He kissed her cheek before she could protest, turned around to called out to everyone, "Lets have some fun! Last one in misses out!"

Like some kind of rock star being chased by his throng, Moka casually fell behind to listen to the sounds of squeals and cheers get softer. Eventually, she was left alone to straighten herself out and open the door with her own hand.

Just like that, she was forgotten.

She promised to not let herself get dejected with this act, no matter how utterly pathetic she felt. Listening to the sound of her own footsteps, she saw how suddenly and how quickly she had been abandoned.

This, too, was Gin.

Like some child with attention deficiency, he lost interest in one toy to go onto the next.

She didn't blame him.

This was all her doing and he was only taking what she had given permission to.

As she exited the charming little Karaoke cafe', she felt the warm breeze of twilight push her hair over her shoulders. The limo driver had waited for her and looked uncomfortable when he closed the door to the back now crammed with college girls and, one, very apologetic looking Gin sprouting out of the top of the moon roof.

"Hey, Moka-chan!" He peeked inside the full back of her own vehicle and shrugged. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would get this packed so quickly. Hey, someone get out! Moka's the star in the party and-"

A chorus of displeasure and whines funneled up to him.

"That's fine, Gin." Moka assured softly, smiling falsely from where she stood. "I'll sit up front."

"Are you sure?" Gin's grin was hardly disappointed by the lack of her company.

Waving her fingers disarmingly, she thanked the limo driver when he opened the door for her. From her seat, after the driver closed the door, she could feel a ruckus stirring in the back of the still stationary limo.

When her driver sat next to her, he uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "Where to, Moka-sama?"

Shaking her head, she huffed with strained patience. "Club Substandard."

This was going to be just another night of regrets.

She was sure of it.

* * *

"Isn't that the girl you were talking about?" A cute short haired brunette whispered conspiratorially, but loud enough for the others to hear.

A murmur of questions followed suit and focused on their host for answers.

Gin had to only grin with both arms around two very attentive ladies. "Pink hair, wedding ring on her finger, and loaded," He gestured to the limo they were using. "C'mon, the Wolfman never disappoints, right?"

Praise came loud and strong.

"She's so pretty," Another girl mewled jealously, "it's not fair to be that pretty and rich! I'm kind of glad you took advantage of her. She doesn't deserve to have everything."

"Oh, she doesn't have everything." He winked at her. "She doesn't have me."

This brought upon some mixed laughter.

"What was her husband like?" One called out with strumming curiosity. "She's not exactly hanging all over you like you said and it's obvious she's still hurting. If she's still holding a lot of regret while she's here with us, then her man must have been-"

"Tsukune was nothing more then punk!" Gin shouted, silencing everyone with his heated words. Calming himself down, he pushed his dark brown locks out of his face after a smooth exhale. "What guy would let such a beauty get pounded away by me while he sits in the hall? Seriously, he wasn't even man enough to try and kick my ass. He just let it happen."

This brought about some murmured thoughts.

"Maybe he had other options and it wasn't so hard to let her go." One girl asked another.

"Really? Prettier then her and nicer? What kind of guy could he be to be able to just let Moka go?"

Gin was starting to get annoyed. "A dumb one," He clarified with a smirk, "That's why she's here with us."

"Actually, we're here with you. She's in the front seat." A small voice pointed out sagely.

"Hey, what can I say? The Wolfman's a bit too much to handle for one woman."

They all had a good laugh all the way to the club.

* * *

The driver pushed a small earpiece further into his ear canal. Glad that he had all of this being recorded as Moka silently looked outside of her own window to see the bright lights of the side vendors and shops. Every now and then she would sigh wistfully, her hand straying to her wedding ring on her finger.

Taking a turn, he knew it would only be a few minutes till they got to the club Substandard and he could collect some more material to send to Baron Teppes.

"Are you okay, Moka-sama?" The driver asked with mild consideration to his passenger.

"I miss him," Is all she said and continued to look away into the dark night with bright rainbow'd colored neon that she felt she would never share with her husband again.

* * *

"This is my Nirvana!" Gin called out, slapping his hands on the roof of the car as he lept from the still moving limo to get greeted by another wave of cheers.

Stopping with a squawk of tires, Moka opened the door to see if Gin was alright. Soon after the back door to her limo opened and his followers spilled out in hot pursuit.

When Moka's eyes took in the marquee built with rough looking barb wired pillars and a half broken sign that spelled out Sub Standard, the only words she could think of to describe the brutish looking establishment was, 'it sure is.'

Rustic gnarled wood and darkened construction iron held the place up held together by barb wire, plaster, and other assorted materials best left unknown.

The bouncer at the door was already groaning when he saw Gin and his flock of followers. "Fuck, Gin! Not again. This is the third night and we've got a line going all the way to the back! Plus, who's going to cover their fees? You?"

"Hey, man, you've got to look at the bright side of this. Each one of these kids are paying customers and I've got eight of them-"

The bouncer gestured towards the line waiting to get in, "They're all paying customers, asshole."

Gin stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned. "They're not here to drink or dance."

Huffing, the bouncer knew what he meant by that. "Fine, but they're all betting and no one gets past without paying the minimum. Got it?"

"Relax!" Gin wrapped an arm around his peer in an affectionate bro hug, "It's all taken care of. You need a drink and a cig. Here, have one on me. I'll make sure one of the girls get you a drink. What are you having?"

A part of Moka wretched when she saw Gin pull a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, offer one to his friend and pop one into his mouth, deftly lighting both in a smooth practiced motion.

"Beer," The guy grumbled after taking a few short puffs.

"My kind of guy," Gin winked at the guy as he headed on his way back to his group.

"Fine, you can blow me after my shifts done," The guy chuckled at his tasteless homo'esque joke.

Gin replied unfazed, "Only if you kiss me first!"

A couple of spectators snickered at the lack of fear of appearing 'masculine' or 'straight' by such comments. It was obvious they were very secure in their masculinity.

They had to be.

"Come on over! The party is about to start!" Gin held his arms out and immediately several of the Karaoke patrons were latching on, asking him questions and other details.

Moka sighed, accepting this night was going to be longer and much more financially involved evening then she had anticipated. Still, if it could still answer those questions...

* * *

"I'm not ready for this." Moka mumbled below her breath as she stuffed her pocket book back in her purse.

Gin's little fan club was already rushing past after he asked them to find seats for all of them.

The entrance fees had been higher then she would have ever considered had she entertained the idea of ever coming into a place like this. She was asked who she would be betting on and, once the blank look she offered came up with no answer, Gin replied for her.

"Who else? I'm a sure thing."

Apparently the double entendre was not lost on the man as he let Gin, Moka and the rest of those following in with glee and curiosity.

After pushing past the two doors of plywood and iron bands, a wail of protests from onlookers waiting to get inside, Gin's fawning fans were guided in after a few brief instructions to wait up for him.

Gin easily slipped an arm around Moka's waist. "Lets go, beautiful. What do you say I show you something really interesting?"

Huffing her hair out of her face, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously while trying to put a little space between herself and her unborn child's father. "You're planning to drop your pants and flash me again, aren't you?"

"You remember that?" Gin grinned, but not without a small nervous chuckle. "That really was one hell of a graduation party, huh? I'm glad I gave you a sight you'll never forget."

Shaking her head, her free hand reached up to grip her rosario.

"It's nothing like that at all." Carefully, he reached to take her fingers away from the silver cross piece, hoping she would let him have a bit to say before she whipped out her other self and cause all sorts of commotion that even he wouldn't dare breach. "It's something to help pull you out of this gloom." He began to guide her through the crowd, keeping his hand firmly on her hip. "Trust me."

Jade green eyes narrowed at those words.

"While I have no doubt what you say is true, whenever you say 'trust me' I end up having to save you from having your liver eaten."

Another dismissive chuckle escaped his lips, flicking his hands away from the vicious memory.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgot about Alita. Seriously, a guy should never date a harpy."

Despite her misgivings, Moka still allowed Gin to direct her to the back of the club. There was a door frame with a heavy black curtain and an old 'VIP' sign above it. A couple heavily muscled bouncers stood to either side. They both obviously knew Gin. Without a word one of them pulled aside the curtain for them.

"Good luck tonight," One of them said.

"Thanks." Gin said with a casual ease that brought Moka up short.

On the other side of the door frame was a narrow wooden stair case that led down...

...down...

...down.

Letting go of her, Gin casually headed down the steps, expecting Moka would follow.

While Outer Moka admitted she had initiated the talk with Gin, she was becoming less and less pleased she did so. Gin was making a lot of assumptions that were putting her on the defensive. She hated that.

It wasn't like she expected him to court her, but it would have been nice not to be treated like the friend he still carried a torch for. She couldn't remember a time when he hadn't chased her for many years unsuccessfully and, now that she was here and the 'carriage was put before the horse', it would seem a date was sort of superfluous considering he had his hour and a night of glory with her.

There was no interest in her after he had his taste.

She understood why he was acting different then he had back then...she had given him more then what he could possibly have wanted and then some. Shaking her head, it was just one of the many examples that the pink haired vampiress knew about Gin in this sense.

He was always constant to have interest as fleeting as his hormones pushed him.

Moka had counted on it that night and was, sadly, as correct about him as she was wrong about forcing Tsukune...

Sighing, she followed about halfway down the steps when Moka picked up a strong scent that made her cautious and mildly aware of her hunger. "I smell blood."

Most of it was not human.

"Yeah," Gin answered, eagerly rubbing his own nose with gleeful interest. "Isn't it great?"

"What are you planning to show me?"

"Just wait a little, Moka, and you'll see."

When they got to the basement there were four more bouncers standing outside a bolted steel door. One of them sent Gin a hard look. "So those chicks were right about you being back, Gin?"

"Oh, them?" Gin sighed overly patient, as if he was burdened by all the estrogen attention. "I can't help it if they want to keep me company, even if I do have the prettiest girl with me."

His sexy smile did nothing to keep Moka's eyes away from the hard stare the man blocking their entrance was giving Gin.

"I lost fifty thousand yen on you last time!"

Obviously, his reasons were sound.

"That's your own fault, Takashi." Gin pointed out with a smug smirk, hooking Moka's hip with his fingers possessively. "You should know better than to bet against me. Just bet a hundred thousand tonight and you'll get it all back and then some."

"Don't get to cocky," The man huffed, giving Moka a once over and then grinning in a secret way that Moka really, really didn't care for. "By the way, Dakitora is here."

"That so?" Gin perked up, a real grin replacing the smooth one he normal kept. "Well, things keep getting better and better. Is Lujuria with him?"

Takashi nodded, shifting his eyes from Gin to Moka and then back to Gin.

For some reason, Moka was almost sure there was a secret message she had not quite understood. Whatever it was, she was a part of it and it did not make the 'trust' she was asked from him was being tested in ways she would almost rather not know about.

Before she could ask what had happened, the bouncer gestured to the safe with an open slot on the top. "Entry charge is ten thousand each and, like always, don't talk to people about what goes on inside. Your other groupies said you were paying, so that's a hundred 'K' off the top. Please tell me you don't have it."

The large bouncer's nasty grin grew nastier. "Pretty please..."

Ignoring him, Gin turned to her with a confident grin. "Moka, you don't mind, right? I'll have it back for you before the night is out."

Moka was not used to whipping out her pocket book out as often as she had. She never had a reason to with Tsukune or even with her other friends. Normally, she paid her part or Tsukune was always adamant that he paid for her no matter what the occasion or the fact she had more money than him.

It was just one of the many things that had made him so special.

Gin, on the other hand...

Moka reached in her purse to produce the required amount of yen.

"Don't worry about it beautiful," Gin gave her a playful wink and once more slipped his arm around her waist. "I'll pay it back to you by the end of the night. Trust me."

"You know, people who earn trust never have to tell the people they're with to trust them. It normally is instinctual," Moka mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Gin asked as he guided her to the large, thick door that looked like something that belonged in a bank.

"I just said I have a feeling you're going to say 'trust me' a lot tonight." Was her response.

It only made him laugh.

One of the other bouncers undid the bolt and pulled the door back for them.

As soon as the door swung clear Moka's senses were assaulted by bright light, loud cheers and cries, and by the thick aroma of alcohol mixed with sweat and blood.

Not all of it was human blood, either.

"Welcome to 'The Vault.'" Gin told her.


	16. Ch 16 Getting Away

Take What Is Yours

Ch 16 Getting Away

Moka wasn't exactly sure what to expect when the rush of sound, smells, and lights assaulted her as she came to the end of a long windy corridor with flickering lights dangling from ill maintained lamps with exposed wire hanging down from make shift brackets, but what she had only confirmed what expected for this evening.

"This is a mistake," She murmured to herself.

The larger than expected fight room was about as spacious as an underground parking garage. Its heady, sultry air seemed appropriate with its loud music echoing off the patched up concrete walls holding the place together. Crowded elbow to elbow, the patrons, smoke, staff and a ring with the lack of proper ventilation made her all too aware of one of her already heightened senses seem so much more pronounced due to one thing.

Pregnancy heightened her olfactory to near blood hound levels, much to her regret.

Unable to guess how many people were actually there, Moka saw that about ninety percent were young or middle aged men with a smattering of young beautiful girls mixed in. Near the door was a dirty looking wooden bar where women in swimsuits were busy pouring beers, mixing drinks and collecting money from gamblers and lost bets alike.

At the center, a boxing ring surrounded by a chain link fence was the only part of the underground sport arena with a raised ceiling. Inside were two bare chest men still dressed in pants and shoes beating on one another with flying fists. Swollen and blackened faces stared back at the other with blood running down their chins. Staggering and panting in an assortment of pain, they were obviously at the end of their endurance as they simply kept punching one another with bare fists. Each time one of them threw a punch or a counter landed they staggered a bit but then kept on going at it as if their health had little meaning compared to the prize.

Moka got the impression the reward of a huge monetary win kept them swinging.

Among the shouts from betting spectators got louder, she noticed several more than obvious uses of spit, kicking to the genitals, and some dirty boxing thrown in, the young vampiress realized there were, indeed, only two people in the ring.

No referee or other official was in the mix to protect a downed fighter.

Most of the crowd was pressed up against the fence shouting and waving their fists. They were screaming to see one or the other knocked down. Up on the far wall was a large old fashioned blackboard with writing in yellow chalk.

Rules of the Ring:

1) No eye gouging.

2) Choking permitted till the other passes out.

3) No breaking of necks.

4) No tearing or biting off digits.

There seemed to have been more rules at one time, but they were either scratched out, rubbed off, or simply reworded.

"Why would we come here?" Moka asked herself, hoping Gin would take her out of this dungeon.

She found Gin talking to a man at the end of a bar with a sign over his head that read:

Odds –

Fumio – 1 ½

Haruo – 1

Despite an exchange that didn't seem friendly, Gin left with a huge smile and a wink when he came close to her.

"Isn't this place great?" Gin shouted over the thrumming screams and the deep bass of music echoing off the walls. "Whenever I need a little money I always come here."

"Gin what is this place?" Moka asked, even though everything was plain as day.

"It's an underground fight club!" He gestured arms wide, getting a few waves from the Karaoke girls who came with him. Turning back to her, he got close to her ear, bringing her to him with his hand around her waist, "Anyone can come here and step in the ring! If you win you get the prize money, about a fourth of the collection against you! It's even fun if you just want to come bet on the matches too. Sometimes we get yakuza in here and they'll bet some serious cash!"

"You mean people come here just to beat on each other or to watch and bet on it?" Moka blinked at him, disappointment and disgust in her eyes.

"That's right." Gin answered back, feeling a bit of his own heat in his voice.

Her voice and patronizing eyes reflected in her tone.

"Why would you do that? Gin, you're better then all of this! What about becoming a photographer for a magazine or a newspaper? You had talent!" Moka lectured with growing disbelief.

Gin's dark brown eyes scrutinized her unfavorably as easily as she was doing to him. "You don't like this? As violent as you can be sometimes? I thought this would really appeal to you...and _her_."

Shaking her head, Moka held her hand at her throat, gripping her rosario.

"You don't understand me at all, do you?" Moka shook her head, looking away regretfully. "_She_ fights but only when she has too or for practice. She would never beat up other people for something as mundane as money."

Gin's smile was a weird mix of mocking and amused. "Sure must be nice to be rich. Some of us have to make do with our skills." In the crowd Gin spotted a familiar form and his eyes lit up with mischief. "Hey, why don't you get us a couple drinks, babe? I'll be right back. Thanks!"

Before Moka could complain or demand that she didn't feel comfortable here, he had melted into the crowd.

Moka stood there, eyes glued to where Gin had dashed off through a chaos of people smothering every corner of a cage. Now she was alone, deep in the middle of an impression in the earth below the clubs basement for an underground cage match.

Her hands fell to her stomach and her body bent at the waist.

Something roiled inside of her and it tugged impatiently wanting to come out.

Making herself put one step in front of the other to the bar, a nasty looking man gave her a once over. Seeing she looked like two seconds away from throwing up, he pointed to a free area in the far corner. "Toilets over there. You make a mess you clean it up."

Seeing she wasn't going to get any sympathy, she reached for her purse and pulled out some money. "Two drinks, please."

Two beers appeared on the bar.

"Do you have any ginger ale? I'm not feeling so good."

His dismissive snort wasn't lost through the noise as he took a long look at her breasts and then her face. "This is a place for big boys and girls. If you want to get milk, I suggest you find a cow. You want ginger ale than go to a grocery store. We only have beer, whiskey, sake, and vodka. Pick your poison girl or get out of the way. You're blocking my view."

Fidgeting under his harsh glower, she looked up at him pleadingly. "Can I have a glass of water with a squeeze of lime?"

"Sure, why not." Reaching across the bar, he got a thick glass, put some ice in it, and slammed it in front of her. Reaching under the bar, he turned on a faucet and lifted his hand to reveal the end of a water hose.

Reaching over the edge of her glass, he let it sputter a few times till the clear liquid came out and filled it to the rim, ignoring most of it when it overflowed. Careful not to let the undiluted liquid touch her least she start to spark up like short circuit, Moka was able to relax a bit when the bartender palmed half a lime and squeezed it unceremoniously over her glass, tainting the substance into something she could consume.

"Good enough for you?"

Moka's jaw moved but decided she wasn't about to complain, this was still better than what she would get in a place like this.

She needed something and, while this wasn't visibly appealing, the water looked clean.

Nodding, she took the beer and glass of water after paying for it, mumbling a thank you.

Yells, screams, shuffling feet, sweat, beer, smoke, and some other scents of a curious substance permeated her delicate senses as she was jostled, almost spilling her glass several times, when she got close enough to witness two shirtless gladiators slugging it out, painfully enduring the other's punishing pummeling with their connecting fists and kicks.

Finding Gin in a sea of skirts and blouses, she made her way towards him as well as she could. His scent was barely recognizable by the estrogen perfume sweltering about him and the cigarette he held loosely at the side of his lips.

_When did he start smoking?_ She thought distastefully to herself.

Just as she arrived at his side, Moka realized he wasn't looking at any of them.

A man, tall and powerful, with a dark blood red mohawk, tattoo on the side of his face that looked a lot like claws reached from his ears to his cheeks was on the receiving end of Gin's notice. An animal skin vest, tiger by the appearance of its black slashes and orange glow pelt, adorned his heavily muscled chest and shoulders.

Nothing was said between them, but Moka had seen blood thirsty rivalries before and this one was something that would make most vampire feuds take notice.

The very air was thick with malice.

Instinctively, Moka wanted to reach for her rosario, but her hands were full with her half spilt glass of water and his beer.

"Gin, what's going-"

Her words were lost by the squeals of fear from Gin's groupies. Pushing himself through several dozen bodies, he approached the man and spoke a few words in exchange. Moka couldn't hear it, but whatever he said seemed to catch the man's attention. Putting his cigarette out, Gin made a motion for the much taller and larger man then to the ring.

Gin's invitation wasn't accepted.

With a flick of his hair, Gin climbed to the top of the cage and jump in the middle of the melee while it was still going on full force.

The crowd scrambled to get closer, knocking Moka's cup of water and Gin's beer onto the floor in a loud crash of glass.

When Moka was bodily pushed through the surge of flesh to see what was going on, she couldn't believe that Gin had purposely strolled into the middle of the flaying battlers and slapping them both on the head to distracting them. Stopping, they both paused their battle hazed attack to see Gin, shirtless, point at each one of them and then at his own genitalia.

Even from where she stood surrounded by jeers and tauts, she could quite clearly make out Gin telling both of them, "You're my bitches tonight."

The man at the end of the bar got up and shouted something, making everyone turn to face him.

"First person to kick that son of a bitch out of my ring gets 200,000 yen! I want his ass hurting!"

The fight soon ensued as two huge barbarian and blooded men attacked him.

Worry, glossed Moka's jade green eyes as she watched him duck and dive, purposely pushing one man into the other in a comical game of cat and mouse. dodging blows that would level any normal human with a single connection, Gin went as far as to put his hands in his pockets every now and then to get the crowd to booing.

Several of the spectators were even starting to climb into the ring to help out.

It surprised her when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and a thick foreign accent ask her, "It is you, pretty girl, Ginei's girlfriend?"

An undignified squeak escaped from her lips as she shyly turned to meet her unintended guest with a drawl she coudn't quite place, possibly a native from India? The first thing she could about him was his sharp cut red haired mohawk and dark hazel green eyes. Unfriendly, predatory, and seeking, Moka was already trying to get away from this huge monster of a man that seem to appraise her with an appetite that made some of Gin's more lecherous observations seem like timid glances.

"I...I..."

"Daktori guapa, that no way to treat da chica." A velvety, throaty voice oozed behind Moka and her hulking guest. "We must be nice, comprende'?"

Turning enough to see sinfully built woman half a hand shorter than her, Moka's eyes caught sight of the woman's luxuriant straight dark brown hair spilling from the crown of her exotically large gold brown eyes that hinted at guiltless mischief. Coffee colored skin reflected what little light there was off bare shoulders down her equally bare back. Moka had only to take a glance at her voluminous breasts about to spill out of the extremely deep cut white blouse knotted high over her navel in a display Kurumu's mother could fit into.

Speaking of her old love rival from the Academy and the one who chased her and her husband half way around the world, Moka felt extremely unprepared when this alluring woman presented herself in all of her near naked glory. When her scent wafted close, Moka had an instant flash of familiarity to one of her friends, especially one that had brought previous images to mind.

_Succubus_, Moka confirmed, _probably from a Latin America decent_. Her guess was probably a native from South America, Brazilian or Venezuelan.

Memories of sultry eyes, oozing sexuality, and the amorous embrace of her husband smothered in a bountiful bosom rushed back into the front of her mind.

That woman had baby blue hair. This creature of lust seemed to pull back her outrageous display to a more normal tone. Now if only the pleated black skirt wasn't so high off her thighs and low on her hips, Moka could try and not feel threatened on a level of being confronted by someone that easily competed on being her sexually built equal.

Till the hand on her shoulder got her attention again, dark wide brown eyes appraised Moka curiously.

"You his girl? Yes?"

The powerful grip snapped her back into reality.

"I...I'm...Moka."

While the sound that came out was rather pathetic, however it seemed to be the right one.

Nodding, both of her new acquaintances took her in, figure, face, disposition, just everything. Picking her apart and then glancing over at the sounds of loss and frustration around the ring came to a rising crescendo. Both men were being thrown out of the fenced cage with Gin looking no worse for wear. Stalking the middle of the cage, he was shouting back at some of the braver spectators throwing insults to the 'pretty faggot acting tough'.

Gin pointedly gestured for him to put his money and his ass where his mouth was.

Challenge taken, the hulking man shot into the ring and another fight ensued.

Squeals and cheers came from his little groupies at his table.

Despite the bookie at the edge of the bar who instigated the betting against Gin, he was sure getting a lot of business when some of the fighters began to put their own money forward with the crowd starting to place offers along side them.

"Him and I will fight. I will hurt him. You will cry." Came the big man's answer straight forward and blunt answer when Moka's attention was returned.

"Don't be malo, Dakitora, mi corazon." The dark, wide brown eyes scolded the much larger man who was paying little or no attention to either of them.

"O'la! I'm Lujuria, mami," One slender hand reached for Moka's. Gripping it neutrally, the young pregnant vampire could feel the other woman weighing the pinkette with a cunning eye.

_Lujuria...Dakitora...those names sounded familiar._

When she first entered the bar...

"Do you know Gin? What do you mean you're going to hurt him?" Moka inquired protectively.

The large man, Dakitora, just seemed to huff, keeping his gaze on Gin as he meticulously hammered away at his newest cage visitor.

"We plays games, mija," Lujuria grinned mischievously, making Moka feel she was facing a far more dangerous woman then what she had first expected. "Gin and Dakitora no play good. We make bet. It happen soon. You see. We have fun then, yes?"

Moka's english was flawless, but she was sure that despite the loss of translation of what Lujuria was saying, there was something very, very sinister happening between these people and Gin.

For another reason more, she understood that somehow they knew who she was and she was involved.

This scared her to her core.

A chorus of boos surrounded the cage, garnering everyone to look in the center.

Another fighter was down by Gin's hand.

The crowd stirred, several patrons as well as would be fighters were charged after losing another round of bets by Gin's prowess. Their heated back and forward parlays began to get dangerous when Gin was getting close to being smothered by sheer numbers encircling him.

_This was getting out of hand_, Moka thought frantically.

Like some kind of agile spirit, Gin danced around them enough to kick at the fence on one side, knocking some would be contenders off and onto the throng at the foundation. Hurtling over it and them, he dashed right over to Moka with sweat dripping down his face and a larger than life smile on his lips.

He was thrilled at the ensuing chaos.

"We gotta go!" Was all he said as he snatched Moka's hand and gave Lujuria and Dakitora one last look.

"I look forward to the next time we meet."

"But-!" Moka had time to offer her one worded protest when she was, yet again, begin dragged to the front of the 'Vault's door.

He arrived just in time to see it crack open to more patrons coming in.

"Maya!" Gin croaked when a lovely brunette and her date were confronted.

"Gin!" She shouted in heated repressed rage, going as far to connect an obviously well deserved slap to emphasize her point.

Taking it across the cheek well, he glanced at Moka apologetically and then said, "I can explain, but later!"

Pushing himself past a part of his past fling, he called out as he nimbly threaded through the bar crowd outside the Vault.

"Some girls don't take not calling after a few weeks so horribly." He chuckled, rubbing his cheek.

Back towards the only entrance and exit, a number of angry and growling brawlers were back on their tail. As they exited through a side of the club, Moka was protesting about Gin's groupies who had come with him now left behind to fend for themselves.

"I hope you're not afraid of going fast." He mumbled as he shoved a few things away from the dark shed that looked like it held used equipment or other such things for building maintenance.

"I'll call my chauffer," She reached for her phone when a well tuned revving echoed off the walls.

"No time! Have him take the other girls back to the bar! Jump on!"

A red motorcycle with the words Ducatti etched on the side pulled up next to her.

"But, I can't! I've never-"

The side door crashed open as several men started to sprint towards them.

"Eek!"

She jumped on behind him and held on for dear life. Looking over his shoulder, he gave her a smile she had seen way too often and in too many occasions that seemed to always call for his reassurance.

"Babe, just trust me."

Closing her eyes, she gave a single nod.

Rolling the throttle, squealing the tires as he released the clutch, Gin and Moka took off in a shower of dirt and asphalt spraying back at their soon to be tormentors, pelting them bloody, and racing away with Moka's hair fluttering behind like a pink streamer.

Helmetless, Gin weaved through traffic at breakneck speed with Moka's faced pressed against his bare back, unused to the need of shifting body weight while turning this way or that.

All she knew was to keep her head down and not look at the flashing light posts as they blurred by her. Keeping her breathing as even as she could, she felt a great bit of relief when he slowed down to a decent speed.

Why was she doing this? This friend of hers was crazy and he seem to spend his life on the very edge. For What? Why? He was so talented despite all of his perverted male tendencies at school. Now this is what he has made of his life? Dealing with underground club fights? Taunting people, making bets with his life, drawing attention wherever he could get it...for what? A few extra bucks? Someway to make a name for himself?

Where these the answers she had unvoiced questions to?

His motorcycle slowed down when he made a sharp turn in an alley, the front head light making shadows lengthen as they passed trash cans and fire escape ladders.

The two wheels stopped with Gin looking over his shoulder, giving her a beautifully wide grin. "So, how was it?"

His husky words had another double meaning that was meant to be humorous and sexy.

She wasn't laughing.

Finding the will and energy to detach herself from Gin's slick back, Moka's whole world was thrown in turmoil and confusion. She wanted to cry. The widowed young vampire didn't want to be here anymore. This wasn't fun at all and all she could do was think about how she wanted her Tsukune back.

He would never had put her through any of this, be it fun or for any reason just for the sake of being scared.

Yet Gin found it exilerating.

It was in his eyes, his smile, his very demeanor as he turned off his motorcycle, put the kickstand down, and gave it an affectionate pat.

She watched as Gin's leg lifted off the bike to give her his full attention, gesturing to the back door in the alley. "This is me."

No better words could describe what she had witnesses this evening then those, even if he was referring to his abode.

"I...I didn't know we were going to do any of this," Was her off kilter response.

"What did you expect, Moka?" Gin pushed himself away from the bike, moving closer to her and then past her, opening the door to his home with a turn of a key tucked away on the top of the door frame. "A stroll by the beach and ice cream?"

He was right. Gin had mentioned that he wanted to do something dangerous.

All she could think of was how utterly lacking 'dangerous' was compared to what she had just experienced with him tonight.

Moka just wanted to talk to him a little, get some perspective on who and what was the father of her child was now compared to the boy she knew at the Academy.

Gin, the man before her was...was...

"I am not, Tsukune."

Her breath caught her throat in a way that chilled her soul.

She knew she wasn't hard to read. Confused, scared, unsure what and how to deal with her feelings, Gin took advantage of her imabalance by marching up to her, pulling her body against his sweat slicked one, and pulling her mouth onto his in a kiss that was like everything that happened tonight two and a half weeks ago.

Rough, dangerous, forced, and aggressive, Moka barely had time to inhale before she felt his tongue gliding over hers, his hands cupping the back of her thighs and off of her feet.

She hated herself for so many reasons, but the one thing she had been unable to deny was, even during that night, Gin touched her in ways that Tsukune never would. After their first time and Tsukune had left her alone in their home, Gin was a menacing beast with her and she reciprocated numbly, mindlessly.

Who would believe her if anyone asked that she wanted to spend that night with her husband and everything had fallen so far into despair that she laughed so hard she cried?

It hurt so much to be abandoned then...

...and afterwards...

...again...

...again...

...everyone left her.

Now, where was she now? Where were they? Where was the 'he' that was supposed to free her from all of her past worries?

"No, you're not." Moka responded when she could, feeling the warmth of her once lover's bare chest against her cheek, the feel of his arms offering to take away some of the loneliness the seem to perpetually shroud her.

What was waiting for her when she got home? Who, for that matter?

Gin was pushing the door open with his foot, watching her eyes to see her protest.

Did she want to? Was this one of the reasons she had come back? To repeat again the act that had brought her and her husband to where they were now?

Chewing her lip, she started to shake her head...

"Is it so wrong to have passion, Moka?" he spoke as he seemed ready to put her down. "Is it wrong to feel alive and proud, admired and cheered for something I am good at? Is it wrong to have my own choices and enjoy them while I can without bounds?"

Moka listened to him, seeing the part of him she had never really sought after before.

"Can you even understand me or what I am when all you have is your own world spread out before you? Wealth and family, friends and a husband? Yes, your world is a wreck, but is mine so much different?"

When he looked away, she saw pain in his eyes. This was all so new from the man she had not so long ago felt an overflowing confidence.

"If you want to go, Moka, than fine, but just remember," He looked her dead between her green eyes, "you fight your way, I'll fight mine. I've worked my whole life and if you want to look down on me for it, then do it somewhere else."

Just as he was putting her down, she stopped him.

Brown eyebrow raised, she saw an acceptance that was not there before.

"Alright, Gin...alright..."

Taking his hand, she let herself in to Gin's home. Had she glanced behind her, she would have seen him flip a switch that was labeled in small words 'camera'.


	17. Ch 17 Uncovered

Take What Is Yours

Ch 17 Uncovered

At the club Sub Standard parking lot...

"I can't believe he just dumped us like that!" The cute brunette named Miya pouted inside the limo as the other girls, who joined Gin in the back, were climbing in to get taken back home.

"That just shows you don't really know him that well." A leggy blonde named Akane, took her time to lounge on the seat in the far back. "Gin does this kind of stuff all the time."

A chesty red head named Emi sat across Miya and crossed her legs. "The second he sees a target of opportunity he goes after her no matter who he's with."

"I still don't see what's so great about that pink haired girl." Another blonde named Hana asked jealously. She'd met Gin just last week and had already slept with him twice. Attending a local university studying law, when she had first ran into Gin he had been so exciting, so different from all the college boys who normally hit on her or asked for her phone number.

**Flashback...**

_When they exchanged glances as they walked past her, he just took her into his arms and said, "When you call me, wear something short, sexy, and," he kissed her long and deep,"accessible."_

**End Flashback...**_  
_

It still gave her shivers just from thinking about it. Compared to other women, he thought she was special, right?

Taking a glass from the bar in the middle of the limo, she offered drinks to everyone.

Hana hadn't expected anything serious with him of course. (No, not for even a minute! Definitely not!) However she definitely had not expected to have her status drop from lover to just a another female party fried after just one week!

"What's so special about her anyway?" Hana grouched over the sound of whiskey being poured into a glass, trying like hell to disguise her jealousy. "I mean she wouldn't even sit back here with him. At the club she did everything she could to keep her distance."

"That's just him and every guy who can get what he wants," Emi accepted the offered glass with a giggle. "Every dog loves the chase. If she tries to keep away from him that just makes him want her that much more."

Akane nodded, taking her own glass and with a murmured thanks. "Besides, you heard him talk about her, right? I mean, imagine it. An old flame from his High School days that he could never land because she was perfectly in love with her sweetheart? He's making up for lost time."

"He's already slept with her though!" Hana whined, making a point to finish her glass in one long pull. Cheeks red and her face pinched at the burning liquor, she poured herself another as soon as she was able to see.

Emi shrugged and spoke without any hint of hurt or personal attachment. "The thing is, he hasn't has his fill of her yet. Don't worry, he'll get bored before long and then the mighty Moka will be demoted to party girl or quick occasional lay. Just like the rest of us."

Hana needed a moment to realize her mouth was hanging open. When she did she quickly shut it. Why was she feeling this possessive and awkward? Why was she feeling so stupid and on the verge of tears?

"Do you think they're already doing it?" Miya asked naughtily, trying not to giggle at Hana's expense.

"Are you kidding?" Akane answer incredulously, as if the girl was asking is the sun bright. "They ran out of a club ahead of the bouncers and a bunch of pissed off customers on his bike to make their getaway. His bike! He never takes anyone on it! I'll bet they're at his place screwing like a couple of horny rabbits!"

"He took her on his bike?" Miya whined, almost dropping her drink. "He never took me!"

"He took me several times," Emi winked triumphantly at Miya.

"Liar!"

"Whatever," Emi was already dismissing her with a knowing smile. "Gin likes to drive hard and fast. Scared me to death a couple of times."

Hana simpered as she fingered the drink in her hands angrily, trying her best to ignore their conversation.

"Do you think they'll do it on his website?" Miya covered her mouth with one hand, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"I'll bet you they do," Emi gasped, realizing Miya had reminded her of a very common fact. "Gin _loves_ putting on a show. You heard him going on and on about how he took her from her husband."

"Wait a minute!" Hana gasped, nearly spilling her drink in the process. "What are you talking about? What website?"

"Gin has his own site and uses a web cam to film all the 'sessions' he has with girls. Sometimes they're at his place, sometimes at theirs. It's wherever he can hide a camera." Emi explained casually, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm sure he's making a small fortune off the subscribers."

_But we did it in his bedroom! _Hana worried as she stared into the dark liquid in her glass. She'd worked very hard to get into a top university for business law to try to become a corporate lawyer. If anyone ever found out she's been in that sort of video on the web! "He asks permission first right? I mean he wouldn't just film a girl without her permission...right?"

The three other girls stared at her for a second before they all threw their heads back and laughed.

"Welcome to the real world sweetheart," Akane said gently, patting Hana's knee.

"I guess no one told you that guys lie to get what they want, especially guys like Gin." Emi voiced with an ice cube swirling in her cheek.

Hana sunk lower into the seat, wishing all the while it would swallow her up.

Miya took out her mobile device and began tapping keys. "Hey want to watch the show? We can see what happens from right here."

Akane and Emi pressed in to either side of Miya's shoulders to get a view. Hana remained where she was, suddenly feeling very ill.

"Oh!" Miya said excitedly, turning it sideways for everyone to see. "There's a live feed!"

Akane glanced over to the other girl. "If you want to see if he filmed you later, the website's thewolfmansplayground dot com."

Hana didn't say a word. She instead just stared out the limo window and tried not to throw up or cry. _I'm such an idiot._

* * *

In the driver's seat the limo driver listened with annoyance to the idiotic chatter the four girls seemed involved in. When he had the chance to report in to the Baron he already knew his master would not be pleased. He was supposed to keep an eye on Aono Moka throughout her date. He fervently hoped his master would understand the circumstances if he explained it well enough.

He'd been doing his job waiting in the limo when he'd received a call from Moka followed by hurried instructions to bring Gin's friends home. Half a minute later he'd watched Gin zoom past on a motorcycle with Moka hanging on to him for dear life.

With that there'd been nothing left for him to do but take these four pretty decorations to their homes. When he did call his master though he would be sure to toss in the interesting tidbit about Gin's website and possibility of Moka making an appearance on it. Perhaps that news would be enough to please the master.

He hoped.

* * *

Gin took his time putting Moka on her feet, nuzzling himself as close to her as she would allow him. He knew he was pushing her hard and the way he was going about it was about as boorish as he every could be, but, at this time, he really didn't care.

His own name was on the line and he had been promising his loyal fans for weeks that he was going to get some action from her. Having her this close, in his home, all he needed was a few more words, a few special touches and he would be able to deliver.

All that needed to happen was for her to go with the flow.

There, in those doe wide green eyes and the stifling fidget of her fingers pinching the sleeve at her elbows of her crossed arms, Aono Moka seemed nothing like a responsive woman to his charms and more like a woman about to be lead to the gallows.

This wouldn't do.

"You're trembling," He spoke loud enough for her to break out of her worried trance, turning her slightly to give a really good profile from a camera tucked into a slightly opened cabinet holding glasses. "It's okay to relax, Moka-chan. I won't hurt you."

As he got closer to her, his lips parted to take her own.

When they touched, it was like kissing a statue.

Frowning, he tilted her chin to look him in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

Now she shouldered past him to look around his home, a bachelor's pad with all sorts of useless things. From one end of the room to the next, there were all sorts of trophies to celebrate his self. A glorified wall of bottles of every kind of liquor one could imagine stood erect along every nook and cranny like some kind of castle crenelations over looking their owner. Neon lights surrounded an impressive looking over sized flat screen TV with all sorts of video game systems and games littering the floor. Ashtrays and spent cigarette butts were littered here and there on a glass table with shot glasses had been left. The obscene sized speakers lining the side of the walls seemed ridiculously large for the size of the room or in good taste to use with neighbors.

"I'm...not feeling well," Moka took the liberty to place her hand over her stomach. "Do you have anything to drink?"

"Do I?" Gin grinned, extending his hand to the fridge of his small kitchenette. "Help yourself."

Nodding her thanks, Moka strolled over to the counter top filled with all sorts of liquor, heavy and strong to sweet and sour. Everything one could imagine was there and none of it made her feel better.

The smell of spent cigarettes and a trashcan that, she now saw, was overflowing with garbage.

She almost wretched right then and there.

Opening his fridge, she was disappointed, but not surprised, to see it stocked with beer and a few plates of left over food.

Why was she doing this to herself?

Closing the fridge, she took a few moments to calm her breathing enough to answer that:

She didn't want to be alone right now. She had questions she needed answers to, but she wasn't even sure she knew the questions. There was still one thing that she wanted to do, needed to do.

She had to tell him...

...tell him...

What did her body mean to her anymore? Tsukune, the love of her life and the most precious person in the world to her, was gone. She had used it to bring about the most inconceivable repercussions that her husband and mate paid for the folly. What was left? All that she needed to do was tell him, this man, this once friend who she brought into their lives to try to stomp her beloved's pride to heel. Nothing she did now would bring him back. There was nothing she could do to take away the taint away from the history of her marriage that lead to this. Then there was this presence inside of her...

Her hand went to her belly again and her lips pinched in heart break.

_Tsukune, I'm so...so...sorry..._

Reaching to find a plastic cup that had been cleaned, she found some Bloody Mary mix that had not been spiked yet and filled it half full. It did wonders to ease her senses.

"Hey, I'm going to disappear for a second. Will you be alright?"

Gins request made her jump. It wasn't so much that she forgot he was there, but that she was where she shouldn't be. Her lips moved to answer him, but she only shrugged her shoulders.

"As well as could be."

Giving her a wolfish grin, Gin disappeared into a small hallway and out of her sight.

Facing the trash and the untidy room, Moka couldn't help but cover her nose. Maybe if she put a few things away...

* * *

Gin hurried into the small room to check every angle of the cameras he has fixed into certain positions. Four in the bedroom? Check. Two in the bathroom facing the shower? Check. Three in the living room?

_What the hell is she doing_? he thought to himself as Moka began tying a not in the garbage bag and disposing it into a back sliding door for the dump shoot. Seeing her replace the bag and eventually clean a few dishes, he covered his mouth with his hands in appreciation.

She really was a good girl.

Thoughts of her quickly reminded him of Sun. Glancing at the separate camera that he used to see his Sun-chan, he felt a pang of guilt hit him, but only for a moment. It was quickly smothered with excitement and the purpose of why he was doing this.

He had Aono Moka here and he was going to give his fans what he promised.

Glancing at his web page, he was excited to see that his view rating was soaring higher than it had ever been before. Tons of people were buying a subscription and his feed was getting viewed by almost a thousand perverts.

"Alright, everyone!" He began, looking himself over to make sure he was ready to give Moka another night like any she ever had before. "This is the Wolfman and it's time to play the game. Here she is, the lovely, the rich, the very, very desirable Aono Moka!"

He switched camera feeds from him to the pink haired woman who was dutifully cleaning his apartment without being asked. A couple of comments appeared on his screen that went from distasteful to complimentary. There was one that caught his attention though.

_"You don't want to do this. Get her out of there before you regret it."_

Peering at the screen name, Gin huffed at Shewhorules. Pecking at the keyboard, he made sure to voice his reply.

"Fuck off, Shewhorules. If you don't like what you see, you can come here and take her place. The wolfman will do to do you what he's going to do to her. Try and keep up, bitch."

Pressing enter, he waited to see if there was going to be a reply.

There wasn't one.

Taking one last look to make sure everything was in place and all his equipment was working, he saw Moka was finished putting the dishes away and was wiping down his counter.

"She's such a good girl," Gin commented as he took an experimental sniff at his shoulder and at his breath. "A keeper really. From what I hear, she's single guys. After I'm done with her, she's up for grabs. Now, onto the show!"

* * *

Far away in a room hidden in an abandoned warehouse, four people were present. One peeked at the flashing screen with her jade eyes wide and her lips pinched so tightly a drop of her precious blood trickled down her chin. On her side was her ex mate's most trusted daughter. Across from her was a man so old and so visibly aged it would seem for all purposes a strong wind could have knocked him over.

His eyes, however, were another matter.

By his side was a woman as lovely as the most whispered fairy tales, eagerly waiting to dote on him should her master's unvoiced whim compel her to.

"I want to thank you for showing us this, Baron Teppes." Ria replied, careful to keep the eagerness out of her tone. She even went as far as keeping her eyes off the screen least she start to cheer.

Akasha's killer intent was barely suppressed, but there was no doubt it had more to do with the quality of her rosario than her desire to maintain appearances.

"You are not a fool, Ria-chan," The Baron's craggy voice pushed through his lips with effort, "and I am not a philanthropist."

"You want something?" Ria replied, but she couldn't help but notice where her host's eyes were lingering.

The trickle of blood coming down Akasha's neck was as inviting as the purest gold to him.

"No," He replied, despite the pinch of his brows at his eyes. "Mother Akasha does."

Bloodriver Akasha's eyes never left the screen.

"Why should we give you anything?" Ria asked with quite amusement. She knew why, but it was needed to be voiced to confirm what wasn't said so there would be no misunderstanding.

"The vampire council is coming up," The baron explained, "and there needs to be some...changes."

"I see," Ria turned to Akasha to see her long, delicate fingers gouge long, splinters on the wood top with her clawing. Gin had made another appearance and his voice was suave and charming through the speakers.

"You really didn't have to do that, Moka-chan." From the reflection on Akasha's pale skin, Gin's image merged with Moka's as he held her from behind, kissing her ear. "But I am thankful."

The Moka on screen tensed.

"I...I really need to talk to you, Gin."

"Later," He moves his hands to the front of her blouse and started to undo one button at a time. "We've got all day tomorrow. Tonight, you and I need to catch up."

"Catch up?"

"Mmm-hmm." He turned her around and took her hands when she tried to move away from him. "You don't have to be afraid. We're just going to pick up where we left off."

"Gin, I just need to talk to you. Please, I really don't-"

"Moka," His voice held the slightest bit of warning. "If you go, I don't think you and I could ever recover from this. It may be best that we never see each other again."

Moka's large green eyes grew larger.

"Ever."

Hands that covered Moka's front to her nearly open blouse slowly dropped to her sides. The conflict was as clear as day.

"Do you want that?"

Swallowing hard, Moka gave just the smallest shake of her head, but her hands went straight to her belly.

"Good, now show me that you want this as well."

She didn't comply for a while. A long tear fell from her perfect skin at her cheeks as she took her first step and then the next to Gin. At the bottom of the screen, there were comments left and right that had the most obscene suggestions and cheers to Gin's way into persuading Moka to do what he wanted.

"This doesn't mean anything," Ria quickly dismissed, turning her gaze to the Baron. "Vampires and werewolves have casual sex all the time. It wouldn't be the first time a woman of standing was seen at an unpopular site."

"I think this would make for some interesting news should the council find out that Lord Akashiya's and our Hades Lord, Mother Akasha's daughter was about to participate in porn would raise a lot of negative perceptions about the ruling family's strength."

Ria decided to keep her tongue quiet about the break between Mother Akasha and her Lord father, including the death of her younger brother. She had come here upon request from a messenger to her and her father. As a gesture of grace, Issa Shuzen allowed her to go with Akasha after notifying her that the Baron had requested their presence in a remote location. Since she was also witness to this, she knew without a doubt Akasha was aware of what Ria was going to tell her father as soon as they had a talk, but now was not the time of what she was going to tell her father but to negotiate on his behalf.

It wouldn't do to have anyone else crush Moka except for her beloved father. That privilege was his.

However...

"Very well," Baron leaned on a rich dark wood cane, getting up smoothly, gracefully as if his body mocked the age of his skin and gravity. "Since I have wasted your time, I will bid you all good evening."

His gorgeous elven slave dipped a proper bow to them as well as she left at his heels.

"What changes do you want?" Akasha voiced as she watched her daughter being lead to Gin's bed, her head tilted to the side and her blouse open. Gin's mouth was tasting her neck and his strong fingers cupping her breasts. Moka's own fingers and hands were idly at her side as she looked away into oblivion.

She wasn't participating at all.

The baron looked over his shoulder. "For now, all I want is the promise of a Dark Lord. Surely, your word is worthy of my discretion."

"And what is it that I would be promising?" Akasha hissed, her eyes still glued to the screen as Gin leaned her back onto the bed, seeing her daughter's fingers grip the comforter on his bed nervously and voicing a whimper.

"I will ask it of you in time."

The potential behind that was endless. His greed would put her at his service for anything.

Gin's hands were tracing down the sides of Moka's hips, reaching under her long knee length skirt.

_If this gets out in the front of the council, my daughter will be hounded for eternity. Between the Baron and Lord Akashiya, what quality of life will my daughter have? Still, he doesn't know about the child..._

"I'm sure something can be arranged," Akasha answered while she stood up, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"And your promise?" The Baron retrieved his coat from the blond elven maiden at his side.

"Even with this, I can't promise you something on your whim. Tell me what it is and I can give you a solid answer."

"I see," The Baron seemed disappointed. "Then, enjoy the show."

His boots echoed in the empty space of the abandoned warehouse with the slippered feet of his servant.

Ria watched them go cautiously, keeping her eyes and senses open.

It was times like this that she felt the most wary. Powerful people were usually very spiteful if they didn't get what they wanted. However, hoping a bomb wasn't about to go off or the two of them be riddled with machine gun fire, the Baron had lived over three of her father's lifetimes and was still alive.

She was sure retribution didn't come quick, but slow and painful. Something akin to how she would take care of something.

Besides, there was still the council coming up and there was ALWAYS opportunity for power to change hands quickly if the right promises made.

Carefully walking back behind Akasha's shoulder to view Moka's web video debut, she braced herself for another one of Moka's fall from grace.

"Ria," Akasha called out in a quiet hiss.

"Yes, Mother Akasha?"

"I want this boy found...now."

Ria nodded, taking the slip of a phone from her purse, she punched a single number with a voice answering only after one ring.

"Yes, Ria-sama?"

"I need a web trace done."

"At once. The website?"

"www dot thewolfman'splayground dot com."

"Please standby." There were a few orders muffled behind the speaker and a few noisy taps on a keyboard. After about ten seconds, the voice answered loud and clear, "Found him. I'll send his address over by text. We can have our people there in five minutes. Do you need us to do anything?"

Ria had been in this predicament many times and the question he was asking has so many possibilities.

"Mother Akasha, what would you like done to him?"

She waited a breath when she could see Gin purposely pull Moka's panties from her legs...

The sides of the table that held the laptop cracked under Akasha's grip, pushing splinters into Moka's mother's hands.

"Understood," Was all Ria said.

* * *

**AN: This is Chapter 2 of Bloody Mary. If anyone wants to read the first chapter, they can either read my latest chapter of The Bet or they can read it at Lord Of The Land Of Fire's website storiesfromlotlof dot com. You can find a link on his bio profile. This story is written by him and I, so let me know how you feel about it!**

**Your Mistress**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2 **

The following day found him sitting in class as usual.

He was in his Philosophy class sitting in an undersized room with polished wooden floors, hard study chairs and desks lined up in neat rows. Professor Da Silva had his back turned at the moment as he was busy scribbling something up on the blackboard. There were nineteen other students there with him. Sitting up near the front he turned his head just a bit.

There was Bloody Mary seated at the very back and off to the side. She was dressed all in black with her helter skelter barb and razor wire accessories, she bore her caked on black and white make up; making her appear more like some grotesque clown than a student at one of the world's best magic academies. Despite her appearances, 'Bloody Mary' was the only one at the school who could use blood magic and was the top third year. She should have been very popular. Instead all the seats near hers were left empty and everyone did their best to ignore her. No one ever so much as said 'hi' to her, let alone offer to be he friend.

She was a total outcast.

Talek had been the same with her till yesterday.

He'd heard all the stories and had seen how she was treated. It never occurred to him to act any different. Until their bizarre run in he had never given her much of a thought beyond simply avoiding her. Given what had happened yesterday he'd been dreading coming into class. He'd imagined her reaction as either her cussing him out or else continuing to play up to him.

XXX

**Flashback**

"Huh?"

Mary rolled her eyes at his dumbfounded look. "Wha'cha deaf or sumf'n? Contract. You. Me. Yeah?"

"A contract? You want us to be contract partners?" He gaped at her. He'd known Juliet for going on three years now. They had been close friends and gone on countless missions together and even put their lives on the line. Yet he had never had the guts to ask her to make a contract. That was why he was sure this had to be some elaborate joke. Glancing around the room he wondered if there were cameras and if all of this would end up on some website.

"Y'er catch'n on quick, Tiktak," she answered eagerly. "You, me, fore'er and a day. How 'bout it?"

"No," he told her flatly.

"No? Awwww, an af'er I let ya rub ma biscuits and get all whily on me?"

"You tricked me into that!"

"Yeah, ya hat'd da whole t'ing while sport'n a bon'r, shu'ga." She deliberately blew smoke into his face making him cough. "Wha's ta think about?"

He coughed and instinctively had a miniature gust blow the smoke clear. "You're kidding right? We've only just met; you don't make a contract with someone you barely know."

Underneath all her heavy make up he noticed her eyes harden and her jaw set. "Ah ain't ske'rd. I ain't feeble an Ah ain't pussy foot'n around ta sit'n on mah laurels while sum o'der filly comes pranc'n 'round for ya ta take stock'f."

"What did you just say?" He blinked at her with incomprehension thick in his stare.

"Yer free'n ah wan'cha, Tiktak!" She balled her fists and nearly screamed at him.

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"Ah, did!"

"Still, that's not good enough for me to say yes."

"Look, Shu'ga," Mary took another long pull on her cigarette and flicked it away. "Ah saw how you'n Juliet were. You were'a real man 'bout things and ah thought'chu were rell'a sweet'n all. I figure you'n I should have a go. I ain't lett'n some o'der girl com'n sweep ya off'r yer feet if dun git to ya first. Un'erstand?"

"I…think." As he tried to piece what she was saying together, one thing came to mind. "How do you know about me and Juliet?"

That produced one of her snorting pig laughs. "You're funn'n, right? D'is school itty bitty, darl'n. E'ery'ne saw the way you dropp'n daisies at'er feet while sing'n her praise. Peopl'n da next state knew, Tiktak."

"Stop calling me that," he said irritably. She was right, it was a small campus and people talked all the time about who was seeing who. Some how though he had always assumed that his feelings were well hidden.

"C'mon now. Dun't be that way shug'a. Think of d'is as'a step up! Y'er git'n a certa'fied blood mage partn'r that brings in'a bunch'a coin on mah missions. We'll split d'is down da middle, ninty-ten."

"Nintey-Ten?" He was already walking away from her. It was one thing to be contracted with someone who was making a lot of money and even one as rare as Mary's unique caliber, but she was robbing him. "Partners split the payments fifty / fifty."

She snorted again. He was starting to really dislike that sound. "We ain't gon'na be fetch'n kitt'ns or trimm'n lawns. Mah missions bring'n more loot d'en you'd e'er see, Tik-tak, and since Ah'll be da bread winn'r, nat'rally be keep'n nin'ty per. Dun sweat it, bah da en'of school you'll be heft'n some serious dough."

"If I lived that long," he muttered, thinking he really did need to consider what part of the English society her accent came from and where he could get a book to help translate what she said.

With no warning at all she punched him in the arm hard enough to make him stumble. "Ass'ole!"

"Ow." He put a hand over where she had hit him with such surprising strength. "Do you normally just punch people you're with?"

"Only when'ya piss me off." She saw him continue to rub. "Oh, dun be such'a wimp."

She placed her hand lightly on his arm. For something this simple she didn't need to bother with an actual spell. She felt the familiar warmth of the magic flow thought her fingers and into him.

"Bett'r? D'ere wun't e'en be a bruise." After she was done rubbing, she waited for him to say something and frowned when he didn't respond as she expected. "So, where y'er mann'rs?"

"You're not expecting me to thank you are you? You're the one who hit me in the first place."

She took another drag of her cigarette and one booted foot began to tap impatiently. "Ah'm try'n ta be cordial 'ere!"

"You don't have much practice at it do you?" She sent him a hooded look and he got the feeling she was considering punching him again. "Thanks."

"Was d'at hard? Ya know, if ya make'a contract wit'me you'll be able ta heal'n all jus like that," She snapped her fingers. "Plus you'll be kick ass ta'boot wit'da bond'n all."

That was true.

There were nine spheres of magic; Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Summoning, Evocation, Illusion, Blood, and Necromancy. Most properly trained magic users could use basic spells of two or three spheres and more powerful ones from their primary. If you made a contract you gained access, or increased access, to the primary sphere of your partner. Talek's primary was wind and he had access to water and evocation as well. Blood magic was extremely rare and far and away the most prized of the nine spheres. The idea of being able to use it was definitely interesting.

There was also the fact that if you had a contract partner the natural limits of your stamina were vastly increased. Stamina was the measure of how much magic you could perform and at what level. It was similar to physical endurance; how much could someone do before they were too spent to continue? For instance Talek could have called up a light breeze and kept it blowing for several hours before he would be too exhausted to continue. He could also summon a gale force wind for less than a minute. Master level wind mages could create full blown hurricanes and tornadoes.

He was nowhere near that level, but if he had a contract partner the amount of wind he could control and the duration he could wield it would be massively expanded. These were the main reasons why people sought out contract partners.

Of course there were drawbacks.

"It ain't gunna be all work'n no play, darl'n." She purred into his neck, pressing herself close enough for him to feel her warmth and let him smell her scent. "I can be real gentle and pleas'n fer ya, if ya take mah, mean'n."

"Huh?"

Her teeth nipped at his ear lobe and her hand trailed down suggestively around his front. "You're ma rented pony and it's time ta rodeo, Tiktak. Cowboy up."

Looking at her face he didn't find her offer all that appealing.

She obviously read that from his reaction and quickly added. "Dun worry, Tiktak. Yah won't hav'ta settle wit' jus me. I kin make mah'self anyone ya want. Juliet could be y'er will'n filly or any oth'r girl you'kin bring'a picture of. Purty sweet offer, huh? So, c'mon…What'cha say?"

"My answer's still no," he said. Despite the rather... interesting possibilities she was bringing up he wasn't really tempted at all.

"Why?" She demanded.

"Because contracts are for life," he told her. "Once you make them you're tied to that person; blood, breath, and life."

She finished her cigarette and carelessly dropped it on the stained brown carpet. Her foot came down and stamped it out. "Ah see. Too high'n mighty ta be bound to da freaky goth hick from Alabama. Right?"

"I don't want to make a contract with someone I don't even know." He looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you?"

Mary scratched her cheek with her black nails, making a long streak in her make up. Just a sliver of vulnerability and insecurity made her eyes soften like a little girl's. "Ah like you, Tiktak. Af'er Ah saw how ya been real kind like wit Juliet an she drop you fer Brad, I figured it was now or nev'r. Is tha' so wrong?"

"No," Talek made himself look past all of Mary's weird idiosyncrasies and attire to see her for the girl she was, but it still brought up one very real fact. "I'm just not comfortable with the idea of being contracted with someone right now. Please excuse me."

With that Talek unlocked the door and left.

XXX

That was how their odd 'date' had ended.

She had been so ridiculously forward yesterday that he'd naturally expected more of the same today on class. Instead she'd just been sitting in her usual seat, isolated and apathetic as always. She'd paid him no special attention whatsoever, not even when he'd looked over in her direction. He had to admit he was relieved. He could only imagine what the reaction from the other students would have been.

Professor Da Silva turned back to the class with three words written in yellow chalk and underlined on the blackboard.

Honor

Duty

Obligation

"Why do we perform missions?" He asked them. "Why are we expected to deal with Incursions and risk our lives for others?"

It was obviously a rhetorical question whose answer could be recited verbatim like some mantra.

'Honor those who came before us.'

'Duty to our brothers and sisters in the arcane.'

'Obligation to all.'

A few of the students began to give the professor the expected reply.

"Caws d'ey pay us to," Mary declared loudly, cutting off everyone's monotonous answer.

The professor frowned at her and her flippant reply and the general laughter it provoked. A couple girls sent her looks of open annoyance, but she was clearly pleased with herself. The silence that ensued once the laughter died off was mainly due to the austere glower of their teacher.

"That is not the reason," he told her in severe tones.

"So we're free labor?" Mary challenged with a smug note in her voice.

"I think we've discussed this before, Ms Hutchinson," DaSilva derailed her question and began to speak in a lecturing tone. "If you're going to speak in this class, it will be with the proper grammar and annunciation. You are not a child so don't speak like one."

That produced another round of laughs.

Glaring back at him with her black highlighted eyes, she cleared her throat and spoke with a distinct effort.

"If we're not supposed to do missions for pay, then can you tell me who pays for our electricity, our food, our water, our living expenses and our instructor's wonderfully ludicrous salary?"

Talek and a few others were staring at her. '_I'll be damned she can actually talk like a normal person if she wants._'

Silence fell and eyes turned from her back to the professor. Da Silva was standing there looking uncomfortable. He had expected this to be just another lecture about the morality of being magic users. He hadn't actually expected to have to defend himself.

Since the instructor didn't offer any kind of formal rebuttal, Mary continued with her slow, almost robotic sounding unaccented speech.

"If it's not about the money, then why is it the students who are killed on missions for our honorable, obligatory, and duty ridden establishment only receive half of the insurance claims due them? Tell me, instructor, why does half that money go to the academy instead of all of it going to the families of the fallen?"

Each student, especially Talek, kept his eyes on Da Silva when he smoothly placed the chalk back on the blackboard ledge.

"Tell me Miss Hutchinson, who is it that pays the premiums for the insurance policies on all our students?"

"The academy," she allowed. Still speaking in her distinct bland English.

"Since the students and families are not asked to take the financial burden of paying those premiums would you not agree that whatever monies they do receive should be viewed not as an obligation on the academy's part, but rather as a gift? As a sign of respect and compensation for the families of the deceased? The academy is in no way required to offer the families anything at all. That we do so should be seen as a gesture of our respect of the sacrifices made."

"Right, it couldn't possibly just be you know some of us will get killed and the school just wants to make a profit from our deaths."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

The students all looked at each other. The academy was supposed to be their protector. Academia est matris. Academia est abbis. 'The academy is mother. The academy is father.' Those were the words written beneath the Veneficus crest. For the six years they were here it was the school that was responsible for them, not their parents, not their families. No one liked the idea of the administration deliberately using them like that. Their lives reduced to just another form of revenue.

"That is disgusting and not the case," Da Silva said immediately. Anger seeping through his calm facade. "You are completely ignoring the ethics and beliefs that are the foundation of our institution."

"Am I?" She asked coolly. "Of course, when the time comes to explain to the parents, wives, contracted partners of the deceased, I'm sure you tell them they perished for Duty, Honor, and Obligation and not for missions that could have been handled by the military or law enforcement. No, we purposely push for missions because it's how this school makes money, not because of some higher purpose. Tell me just one thing professor, does the academy ever offer to do missions for free? If it really is all about honor, duty, and obligation it wouldn't really matter if we were paid or not would it? So does the academy ever offer to help people solely for ethical reasons? Does the academy ever perform a service for the public without expecting compensation? Well Professor? Do they?"

Da Silva clenched his jaw and said not a word.

Everyone sat there absolutely silent as the student and mage glared at one another.

The bell rang throughout the halls. The students grabbed their books and quickly jumped to their feet glad for the chance to leave. Mary deliberately gathered her books and was the last to head to the door.

She passed her teacher with her head held high.

Class was dismissed.

XXX

Despite the small confrontation between Mary and Da Silva, nothing was repeated about what happened in his Philosophy class.

After his World History class Talek headed to the cafeteria to have lunch. The cafeteria was on the northern side of a small plaza called Avalon. On the western side was a ten story brick building that served as the boys dormitory and across from it was an exact copy that served as the girls. Each student was assigned their own room that included a small bedroom, kitchenette, and private bath. No one was required to have a roommate and there was no charge for the rent or utilities. It was only mandatory for the freshmen to live on campus, but most students never bothered to find their own place. He had been living up on the fifth floor and had no plans to move out until he graduated.

It wasn't just a matter of cost or convenience. Here he blended in and was just another resident. Anywhere else he would have drawn stares the moment people noticed his zakesh. He would have neighbors asking him if he could make the rain stop or if he could read their fortunes for them.

There were also plenty of people out there who did not like or trust magic users, especially since the Fool Day's Incursion. While most people saw them as heroes who'd fought (and died) protecting others there were those who would always blame magic users for the existence of monsters. They were the sort who would have cheered on the witch trials and the burnings. The idea that getting rid of all magic users would also rid them of monsters was sheer idiocy. It was only the existence of the Academies and Guilds that kept their numbers in check and most of them far from human civilization. Take those away and the monsters would quickly go from a minor problem to a worldwide plague. Still, there were always people out there who liked simple solutions.

At the entrance to the cafeteria he pulled out his school ID and held it out for a woman to scan. There was a 'beep' and she nodded. There was no register anywhere inside and no prices were listed. Only students and faculty were allowed to eat here, and just as with the dorms there was no charge for food. Free tuition and free room and board, that was how the academies operated. It meant anyone with sufficient ability to use magic could be a student here, and by working missions you could actually make money while attending.

That was however only so long as you met the school's requirements. If you dropped out, got expelled, or failed to meet the minimum requirement you had to pay back all the tuition costs. Those came to about twenty thousand dollars a semester. And of course outside of the academies it was illegal to practice magic for profit without a certificate. It gave everyone here a hell of a lot of motivation to complete the six year program and earn a certificate.

He grabbed a plastic tray, a dish, and some utensils. There were no servers, instead there were five long tables where different foods were kept in metal pans under heat lamps. Each table held an assortment of thirty dishes, a hundred and fifty in total. This didn't include the salad bar or the desert table. There was also an ice cream dispenser. Everything was served buffet style and you simply took what you wanted. He just loaded up on chicken strips, an apple, green beans and mashed potatoes. Pulling a dispensable cup from a holder, he filled it with cola from the soda dispenser.

The entire cafeteria floor was split up by square tables with four wooden chairs assigned to each. In a few spots the tables were pushed together to allow a large group of students to talk more easily. You could pick your schedule at the start of the semester so not everyone had lunch at the same time. The cafeteria was a bit more than half full and he was looking around for a place to sit. His eyes drifted to the far end of the room where he usually sat.

There he spotted Juliet sharing a table with Brad.

He was too far away to hear anything but he could see Brad telling her something and she was covering her mouth as she giggled. She was sitting much too close to him and had a hand resting on his arm. The way she was staring at him Talek would bet she wouldn't notice even if he sat at the next table.

Did she have to sit in our usual spot though? He thought bitterly. Doesn't Brad have his own spot with his groupies to keep them company?

He saw an open table closer to where he was and headed for it. Juliet hadn't bothered to get in touch with him since sharing the wonderful news about Brad's offer.

'_I guess we're really not partners anymore.'_

As he went to sit down a couple students looked up long enough to say 'hi.' He never had trouble getting along with people and had a wide range of friends. Other than Juliet though, he wasn't really close to anyone. If he was invited to a party he would usually go. When people formed study groups he would always join in. When people were bitching about how much everything sucked he would nod his head and throw in the occasional word showing he agreed. He really was good at blending in.

As he sat alone and methodically chewed his food he wondered if that was a bad thing. He was a third year. He had never failed a class and never gotten an A. He had successfully completed more than sixty missions, but except for his part in Fool's Day none of them were very memorable. He never really tried to stand out. He'd stood out before coming here; ever since the day he accidentally made a breeze blow through his third grade class.

When everyone had suddenly realized he was a magic user they had all started treating him differently. They made him wear a zakesh after that every time he went outside. The kids would stare at him like he had two heads and the adults would go out of their way to be 'polite.' He had once had a preacher walk right up to him and start screaming at the top of his lungs that he was bound for Hell and that he was the devil's spawn. While most people treated him with respect no one treated him like he was normal any more, not even his parents. Being special had no appeal to him at all, he'd hated it. All he'd wanted was to be normal and to fit in.

Coming here to Veneficus had been a blessing. He was suddenly average again! People would talk to him without asking him about magic or staring at his zakesh. He had reveled in the simple pleasure of just being ordinary, of not feeling the eyes of people following you wherever you went. He'd even gotten to meet a really great girl who had felt the exact same way!

Juliet liked to say he had built up her self-confidence and always been there for her. While that was certainly true she didn't realize that she had done the same for him. She was always his most precious friend and perfect partner. It was so easy to be with her. She never judged, she was never harsh, she was always patient and gentle. Falling in love with her was as natural for him as breathing.

During their first two years they were practically inseparable. They helped each other through all the difficulties and gave each other comfort. Whenever there was a problem they could always turn to one another. Things had started to change with their third year. They only had one class together and he noticed some subtle differences. Turning sixteen she had started to bloom and feel more sure of herself. All the self-doubts she'd had seemed to disappear and her girlfriends became the people she turned to for answers and approval. Brad came up more and more, some guy who she had classes with.

She would drone on and on about how she admired his skill and swagger.

They'd still been partners and close but bit by bit they were spending less time together. Looking back at it now it was as if he'd been her crutch. Once she'd learned how to walk on her own she hadn't had much need for him.

_'Was that all I ever was?_' He asked himself with a mental grumble. '_She didn't just use me as her practice dummy to help her reach her potential, did she? Good enough to make her mistakes on and establish herself, but not to stay with?_'

His food left almost untouched, his self-pity was threatening to swallow him when a girl with shoulder length red hair sat down in the chair next to him.

"Hey darlin', miss me?" Underneath table she gave his thigh a squeeze.

The over friendly greeting snapped him out of his thoughts and forced him to pay attention to her; cute, red head, green eyes and younger than he was, he tried to place where he had seen her before. She obviously knew him but to his immense embarrassment he had no clue how.

"I'm very sorry, but have we met?"

Her teeth flashed him an impish grin. "Aw, an d'er I go think'n that Ah was unfergit'able!"

"Mary?" He blurted out.

"Your one'n only Tiktak."

His eyes darted about to make sure no one was paying them any special attention. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a lowered voice. "You ignored me all through class."

She snorted at him, reminding him solidly that this was, in fact, the Mary who'd all but assaulted him with Juliet's body.

"Uh-huh, I fig'rd you weren't ta eag'r to parlay wit' meh, so ah d'ought I'd be mer'ca'ful. Ah dun want duh masses to be shun'n ya 'cause dah freaky goth hick chick has her nick'rs hawt fer'ya."

He frowned at her. "Why are you still talking like that? I know you can speak actual English."

"Ah ahm speak'n how ah parlay, shug'ah. Jus' deal wit't."

Talek just grumbled. Something had told him that was going to be her answer.

"Ah jus' show'n Dah'Silvie an e'ery'un d'at Ah ain't no loon hick no mat'er whut Ah ahm say'n." Reaching over she snagged the apple off his tray and snapped off a piece with a sharp bite. "MMmm, Danks, Tik-Tak!"

He had to make a concerted effort not to get angry. The girl just had a gift for getting on his nerves.

"Look, I already told you there's no way I'm going to make a contract with you. So why are you stalking me?"

"Ah ain't ah quit'r." Her clean fingers rolled what was left of the apple in her hands. "I wan'ta be yer girl, Tiktak. C'mon, wha'ja say?"

"Look there' no point, you're just not my type."

She gave him another one of her charming little snorts as apple juices ran down the side of her chin. "Meanin' I aint no purty blush'n damsel? I kin see what'cha mean. It's not like ya'kin hide where yer eyes been linger'n." She turned her face in the same direction, to where Brad and Juliet were sitting close and cozy. "I reckon she's a peach'n all, an I've ah snowball's chanc'n hell if'n she was ya suitor. Thing is, darl'n, she's a lil busy at da moment with a certain stud. Da way ah see it, yer multiply'n by zero and ahm yer remainder additions. Ya know?"

He was sure she was saying she was his only option.

"I'd sooner just stay alone."

Beneath the table his shin received a swift and very hard kick.

"Ow!"

"I'm a lotta fun!" Mary said in a loud clear voice without her usual southern drawl. "But I don't do those kinds of things in public! You have to at least kiss me first!"

Talek saw faces turn towards him and heard laughs and snickers coming from all directions. Mercifully Brad and Juliet remained oblivious. His face reddening he glared at her. "Keep your voice down! What the hell are you trying to do?"

"Ya hurt mah feelins," she told him and took another bite from his apple. "Yer agree'n ta a movie ta'night or ah start shoutin' rape."

"You have got to be kidding me."

He saw her inhale a deep breath.

"Okay! Okay! I'll take you! I'll take you!"

"Awwww, shug'ah, stop twist'n mah arm!" she tossed the apple core onto his tray. "D'eres a great flick com'n on lat'r. Meet'cha at yer dorm room by six, Luv. You're billit's 515, raht?"

He blinked. "How would you know that?"

"Ah got mah ways shug'ah, ah got mah ways." She got up with an insufferable grin. "See ya at six, darlin'! Dress real casual like with sneakers!"

"Sneakers? How come?"

"'Cause we're go'n sneakin', o'course. Bye Tiktak!" She took off giving him no chance to ask her anything more.

It occurred to him that though he and Juliet had often studied together and gone on missions or simply hung out they had never actually gone on a date. That meant this would be his first.

"My first date is with Bloody Mary," he muttered beneath his breath. "I wonder if I did something in a past life."


	18. Ch 18 Take What Is Yours

Take What Is Yours

Ch 18 Take What Is Yours

Glancing over Moka's shoulder where a hidden camera would give the viewer an excellent side profile shot, Gin felt his lips pinch in frustration. Why? Because Moka wasn't following the rules. What rules? His rules! The rules she asked of him that night she wore that slinky black dress, those ear rings, that great fucking perfume and those heels!

Now, this was more of a 'what the fuck' moment.

He was positive he was doing everything right, just like then and every other time he was with a woman. He kissed where he remembered her liking at the curve of her neck and collar bone, touched her high between her legs, grazing the pink pubic hairs he knew nestled her intimate pearl, cupped her exposed beautifully silky smooth breasts with the pert, plump light pink nipples...

...but for all his efforts, Aono Moka was looking away with tears in her eyes as if she was suffering.

Suffering!

Didn't she know who he was? Didn't she remember what he did to her those two nights at her apartment?

She loved it! Wanted it! Asked for it!

Okay, fine, as soon as she and him closed the door for the first time, it wasn't really her jumping him and forcing his clothes off. Moka really wasn't as confident or into it as she made her husband believe she was, but when he pulled her dress off her breasts and she cutely, shyly covered herself, when he pushed that slinky fabric off those delicious hips and onto the floor with her hands trying to cover herself, it was adorable and politely vulnerable considering the circumstance.

She was so terrible at hiding it, but it was there. No, she didn't want to do it, but she had to keep pushing, forcing herself to move one step onto the next.

When he lead her onto the bed, he saw her glance over and over again to the door, painfully aware she was, in fact, alone in her fight to prove herself more stubborn than her husband. Who was Gin to not help her with what she wanted?

Oh, it had been absolutely rapturous when he was on top of her, like now, looking down at her, resting nestled between those luscious thighs and kissing her lips as she closed her eyes and prepared herself for him.

"I've always wanted to make love to you, Moka."

"I know, Gin."

Even with her eyes covered and her lips winching fearfully, blindly to accept the fate she made herself, the look of electric disbelief made her gawk at him as he entered her, as if the reality and the moment just made itself undeniably aware to her for the first time.

Her nails dug into his arms under his elbow, her legs tightened and her body arched away from him.

It was so cute, she wasn't used to him. Gin told himself that she just needed some time, some more coaxing, and she would be under his spell.

This wasn't the first time a woman came to him to get back at their boyfriend or husband.

What a rush it was!

After seeing her accept what was happening with some soft voiced 'it's okay, it's okay, just relax' or 'let go, Moka. What's done is done.', she cried a few tears and mumbled for Tsukune to help her, save her, to stop this, it soon became noise to him. Yes, she said those things, but what did it matter?

He could hear her breathing become labored, the feel of her core heat up, the tremble of her breasts brush against his chest as she moved in time with him.

It was heaven.

Now...

Gin looked down at her, her regular white blouse opened to her belly, her long, tan colored skirt that went all the way down to her knees with regular sandals hanging limply off of her feet, he had to ask himself 'what the hell."

While, yes, he knew she was ignorantly unaware of his attempt to make this night his website debut and the mounting promises he had stated over and over again that she had not only wanted him eagerly over Tsukune, but that she was begging for it.

Now, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening like this.

She wasn't eager! She wasn't fighting for him to make love to her, touch her, anything! It was as if she became a carcass, just a lump of meat to be carved and cooked, served with wine or some other kind of dish.

But it was bland, tasteless, an act of cut and chew food, not the gourmet delectable entree he had told the world she would be!

The one he deserved!

Sighing in frustration, he knew he was going to get it from his fans, but that didn't mean he couldn't get what he wanted from her. If she wasn't willing, then that was fine. He would have to make the most of what he had anyways.

Her body was still a sight to behold so he might as well enjoy it.

* * *

"You said five minutes, now you're telling me seven?" Ria had walked away from Akasha as she voiced her discontent.

"I'm sorry, Ria-sama, but there's traffic and we're blocked in. If we circumvent it, it could take as much as ten-"

"Then get there on foot!"

"If we do that, it could be closer to fifteen-"

Akasha knew Ria was doing all she could, but it was going to be too late. Gin already had Moka's skirt bunched at her hips, her privates viewed to the public for everyone to see as he attempted to touch her brazenly between her legs to entice some kind of pleasurable reaction out of her.

Moka did nothing but look away, blinking her jade green eyes towards some memory in her mind.

Probably something safe and comforting...a happy place.

Akasha wanted to go down there herself and could have. It was right there, in the front of her mind to do it, too. All she had to do was rip off her rosario, speed over the roof tops of each building till she got to Gin's apartment...

She found his address.

...and free her daughter from this loathsome predicament that she was not fully aware of.

But there were still rules that had to be obeyed, as a monster and as a Hades Lord.

As much as she wanted to intervene, it didn't stop the fact that, as it's most raw and basic reality, Moka put herself here.

"Get out of there, Moka," Akasha whispered to the screen fervently, "Don't do this again."

In the back noise of the empty warehouse, Akasha could hear Ria growl at the receiver to push them to go faster. Eventually, after a few threats and some obvious damage to the public sidewalks and signs, they assured her they would be able to get there in about nine minutes.

Focusing back onto the screen, Akasha saw Gin pull himself away from Moka and reach for the button and zipper of his pants.

This was it.

* * *

She could hear it, that metallic zzzzzzzzip of Gin opening his fly. It was loud to her, making her blink at how aware she was of something so simple. Then there was the shift of the mattress under her, the feel of air conditioned air wafting over her and his shadow leaving her, the rustle of him pulling his pants and boxers off his body to be tossed carelessly onto the side of the bed and onto the floor.

Nothing.

She felt absolutely nothing.

Her eyes found a burn mark on the night stand that she was only dimly aware of. She saw something like that a couple of time, usually from someone leaving a cigarette burn to the filter and thoughtlessly allowing it to extinguish after cooking the surface a little.

Wiggling her nose a bit, she could smell the lingering hints of cigarette, beer, and other pheromones in the room.

They were mostly from him, but she had no doubt that where she lay, right now, was the place of many a woman's dignity and self respect was lost or made to believe entrusted onto him.

Just like she was at this moment.

Past the cigarette burn was a window, closed, and she thought it would probably help get rid of the some of the smell if he let some fresh air in.

Fresh air...

_What a simple idea_, she thought to herself. Let out the bad stuff and let in the good, the new things that could make a difference. She thought back to his apartment, dirty, untidy, a true bachelor pad with all the makings of self glorification, self gratification.

He hadn't changed a bit.

His whole home was a testament to how he saw himself.

With that thought, how was her home?

Looking back at how she left it those many weeks ago, she wondered...

What would it be like now compared to Gin's? She pondered what it would smell like? What it would feel like? What was there, if anything was there to remind her again and again and again of that night...

She blinked her green eyes, craning her neck around to face his reapproaching countenance.

Strong hands slid over the top of her thighs, his heavy, looming form started to smother over her...

"Lets party, Moka."

...and she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I have to go,"

He paused, unable to believe what she said to him.

Not waiting for him to comply, she closed her knees to her chest and nudged his arm away from her, rolling herself onto her bottom. Fanning her skirt over her bare legs, she fixed her hair over her shoulders and looked about the floor for her panties.

"What?" Gin sat on his hip, staring at her back with stunned disbelief. "Where do you have to go?"

"Home," She answered quietly, quickly. "I have to go home."

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Gin glanced at all the cameras still recording, live, and then at her. "To who? Tsukune? He won't be there."

Moka's fingers stopped buttoning her blouse for a second, knowing full well what he meant by that in his own way and, yet, was so right in another.

_He's dead_, she wanted to voice but didn't. Moka or anyone wasn't allowed to talk about it or there could be consequences to them or Tsukune's family. She wouldn't say anything because...well...hadn't she done enough?

"I just need to go home," She reached over the side of the bed when she found her discarded under garment and began to put it on when she felt his hand on her wrist holding the pure white article dangling limply in her fingers.

"No, you need to stay here," he corrected her.

For the first time in a long time, Moka and Gin were looking at each other without a sense of friendship.

He was challenging her and, this time, it confused her.

Back then, when they were together, she had resisted a little and hoped he would play along with her bluff to get Tsukune to listen to her threats, but when he took it farther than what she was really ready to, she just accepted everything and pushed the blame on him and Tsukune.

Now, this was different. She wanted to leave...HAD to leave, but he wasn't going to let her.

"Let go of me, Gin."

Exhaling a breath, he brought her wrist to his lips and kissed her, gently. "C'mon, Moka. Relax. The night's still young, you're still upset, and we've got things to talk about, remember?"

She said nothing.

"Look, let me give you a massage, okay? Stay the night. We have breakfast in the morning and-"

She broke out of his grip and rushed off the bed to get some distance between them. "This was all my fault, Gin. Everything."

Grumbling into his hand, Gin glanced at the near invisible cameras still peeking out at different angles. He needed to get her to either come back to the bed or head towards the couch. Where she was right now had horrible blind spots and it would not do have something happen where she was at heading towards the front door. He had to do something or the highlight of his proclamations, the revenge he wanted from Tsukune for embarrassing him like he had in front of the Snow People and taking away his title of their savior was going to be, again, snatched out from under him like a rug.

Why?

Because his bitch of a wife decided right here, right now, to be 'morale'.

What the FUCK was up with that?

He wanted to tell her about Tsukune and the snow maidens, right then and there...

Glancing at Moka's back and then at the camera, doing so could bring her to tears and maybe back to bed.

...but it would also be an unrecoverable, permanent reminder that he had lost to him, to Tsukune.

He needed Moka to come back to him willingly, eagerly, desperately and wantonly like he promised to everyone.

"It's okay, Moka." He got back on his feet, padded over to her and chuckled. "Look at you. You're so tense."

Strong fingers touched her shoulders and she flinched...

...physically flinched away from him as if he disgusted her.

Her!

Now he was getting angry...

...very, very angry.

* * *

"Okay, get in position," Ria paced back and forth behind Akasha, glancing over the pink haired woman's shoulder to call the command to continue on to burst in and create chaos.

"Wait," Akasha raised her hand, her large slitted green eyes taking in the LCD screen in front of her hopefully for the first time. "Tell them to pull back."

"What?" Ria covered the mouthpiece to her cell and met Akasha's eyes through the light reflection of the screen in front of her. "They're right across the street. If you want them to stop-"

"Just wait," Akasha crooked her hand to Ria to come look at the screen with her, "I don't think she'll need our help. Look."

"Standby," The dark haired vampiress spoke into her phone to peer closely at the monitor.

* * *

Moka couldn't do this anymore.

Looking about the mildly clean apartment she spent about fifteen minutes or so to clean, she didn't just see where Gin had lived, but where she, herself, had allowed herself to become entangled with. If she thought his home was a mess, that he needed fresh air, than what was her home, the one her and Tsukune, her dead husband, was like?

What was the air like in the place they had once made love, had spoke of dreams and fantasies, believed the future was theirs to be enjoyed endlessly?

She spent just a few minutes cleaning up Gin's home because she thought it would help her with her stomach, maybe be an act of friendship to someone who was there to share in her problems and help her.

What did he do, though? He did the same thing she did to her husband, give an ultimatum.

"Tsukune was stronger than both of us," Moka called out into the quiet room. "You did to me what I did to Tsukune, Gin. You threatened me by saying you'll never see me again and I threatened him if he didn't listen to me I would have a child with someone else. He had the bravery to keep his word and walk away."

Rubbing her nose, she looked at her hands and then down at the soft white panty still clutched in her fingers.

"I'm a coward, Gin. A foolish, stupid coward. I used ever excuse I could think of to push my own realities onto everyone else except myself. I used my family, my friends, my own pride to get me where I am right now and for what? I've lost so much and for the longest time I've wanted to put that blame on everyone else but myself. Even when I try to keep what is left of me whole and true to what I used to be as a person, as a woman, I go and let myself be taken advantage of."

She felt him approach her again and she was ready to apologize to him for saying she was going to do one thing but doing another...

...until she felt him grab her by the shoulder, spin her around and slam her onto the couch...

...hard.

"Gin!" She screamed, this time loud and worried. "What are you doing? Stop!"

When she looked up into his hard brown eyes, nothing of the friend she had once seen was left there.

* * *

"No," Akasha stood up, ready to lunge through the screen, if she could.

Ria was right behind her, calling out to her cell, "Deploy, now!"

* * *

He knew what this looked like. As much as he played the fool sometime to get what he wanted, he wasn't stupid. It didn't matter right now. In front of him wasn't his friend who he saved, who he had longed for so many times before she called him, the elegant Moka who had tip toed daintily, demurely in front of him at school, just out of reach as well as Tsukune's other friends and loved ones, but this was a woman who had used him and now, oh so conveniently wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone...again.

That...bitch!

"Why are you crying, Moka? You wanted me to fuck you like a whore that night, remember? You wanted it! You begged for it! Now show me that face, huh? Make those sounds and spread your legs like you did that night!"

He could feel it in him, the rage, the anger rise in him and the beast coiled inside of him ready to dominate her. He needed this and he was going to take it from her...

Take it, because it was his to take.

"Gin, please stop! I don't want to do this! I'm sorry if I hurt you or made you think that it's your fault, but I really want to go home! I want to go!"

The pleading, the hoping to reach him as a person, as a friend wasn't working. He was holding both of her hands over his head with one strong fist and pushing himself between her legs with the other. Under her skirt, she was still naked and he was shamelessly, equally unclothed as well.

She couldn't reach for her rosario and, seeking the presence inside of her, she couldn't tell if her Inner self was even aware or lucid.

"Stop, Gin, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please let me...No, No!" She arched away from him when she felt him...

...there.

He was right there, the thick head of his penis right at her entrance and he was mashing himself towards her, almost inside of her...

* * *

"Don't do it...don't you dare..." Akasha was already walking away from the screen to, personally, get Gin with her own claws.

"We're in position," The voice called out over the cell phone.

Had Akasha not walked away from the screen and was headed towards the door, she would have seen Ria's eager brown eyes take in the screen with a blissful smile. "Stand by."


	19. Ch 19 Shows Over

Take What Is Yours

Ch 19 Shows Over

Ten men were positioned in the alley behind Gin's apartment wearing tactical gear, sub machine guns tucked into their arm pits, with ear and mic pieces barely made visible in the evening moonlight. Sixty yard or so out into the street was the SUV that brought them, engine running should they need to move upon their employer's command.

Cracking the door to use a fiber camera to get a brief peek inside with a miniature monitor, manipulating the camera with a twist of his fingers, he could barely make out what appeared to be the target for recovery, Aono Moka, and the target to eliminate, Morioka Ginei.

She was screaming, crying, fighting and the man was yelling at her to shut up, shimmying himself one way or the other to block her from moving. The mercenary had no doubt that it was only a matter of seconds, at best, before the man would have successfully inserted himself, if he hadn't already.

Hand raised, he waited for the confirmation he needed to move in.

"In position. Awaiting for your command." he mouthed, taking the fiber camera out and tucking it into his cargo pocket. He focused on the door knob and glanced at a very heavy build partner who would give it that one brutal kick to take it down.

Hand raised, he waited for the 'Go'.

"Stand by," Ria's voice came over the ear piece.

The screams were getting louder...louder...

Each man looked at the other, nervously aware that it was either now or never.

"Ria-sama, if we don't do something soon, the target for recovery is going to be-"

"You are experiencing radio communication black outs," Ria's voice called out suggestively. "Do you understand?"

Her quiet, womanly voice slow and comprehending in crisp, clear audio through their ear pieces.

Each man knew what that meant. Moving away from the door, they glanced at the other. "I'm sorry, can you say again, Ria-sama? You're breaking up."

It was not often Sekitan Ria used the ruse, but it was obvious there was a reason for it. She always had a reason for what she did.

"Fall back?" One asked. "What's the SOP?"

"Unable to confirm," Each man lowered their sub machine guns, knowing full well there were hidden agendas in most of their employers orders. "Our last order was to Stand By."

The screams got louder.

"What do we do?"

Each one tucked themselves into the shadows and waited. There really wasn't anything else to do unless given that specific order to 'Move' or 'Deploy.'

So not lifting a finger, not moving a step, not stopping what was happening right in front of them, they did what they were told to do.

Nothing.

* * *

_Yes...yes...yes..._

Sekitan Ria was not above using murder, theft, hostages, or rape if the situation called for it. Everything had its purpose or its place. Her beloved little brother who just so recently passed would have attested to it. Those long black gloves she always wore were used many a time to enact it personally, to feel ever bit of excruciating detail, to punish through its fitted fabric with a delight that could only be experienced first hand.

Watching her little sister, the most cherished daughter now falling to a moral abyss was something she could never have planned herself was a moment she wanted to savor and watch unblinkingly in her mounting demise.

_This was a worthy sentence for Moka after what she did to Tsukune_, Ria mused quietly, thinking she would definitely get a copy of this as soon as she could and watch it again later.

A passing thought of what was her punishment for what she did to her 'little brother'? It didn't matter. Right now there really was nothing else more glorious than this that she had ever had to witness in her whole life. It would have only been made better had she been there in person. This, however, was a very suitable substitute.

Glancing at the cell phone where she had just given instructions to the team waiting to complete the mission she had been told to use upon Mother Akasha's request, she slowly, ever so slowly closed the flip phone.

Audio blackouts, bad signal, unable to confirm an order...it happens all the time and usually at the most inopportune moments.

Pity.

Opening it back up again, she clicked on the SEND button and the team captain answered. "We're still Standing By, Ria-sama. Your orders?"

"You're still having a communication black out and incomprehensible stuttered speech, do you understand?"

A pause in the ear piece was answered with a sound of someone tapping the mic, as if enacting a bad connection. "Say again, Ria-sama? You're breaking up."

Flip. Ria closed the phone in her palm again. She would do this several times to ensure if anyone checked she would make it appear she tried to reach the team over and over again.

Whatever was said? Well, that was what the empty walls for the warehouse to bare witness to.

"Where were we?" Ria glanced back at the screen eagerly, do her best to keep a face splitting grin from her face as the images of Moka's futile attempts were sure to come to an end.

* * *

Gin had to admit, he had never had to do this before.

Ever.

What was worse, he was hard, harder than he had ever been his whole life. If he got himself inside of her, there was no telling how long, how rough, how terribly vicious he was going to hurt her inside.

It didn't matter.

He was sick and tired of being the butt of a joke to her, that fucking Tsukune, and his troupe that constantly humored themselves by keeping him around as if he was some punchline. No, Aono Moka, the beauty, the epitome of feminine grace and most sought after woman back then and, probably, even now was going to know him if she liked it or not.

"Gin, stop it! You're hurting me! You're hurting-"

"Shut the FUCK UP!"

His hand went back to slap her and everything caught his eye, just for a moment was able to see outside himself to take note of how red her cheeks were, how blood shot her green eyes were from crying, how her breathing made the skin below her neck flush up to her ears...

This wasn't beautiful at all.

It wasn't sexy, it wasn't fun, and it wasn't how things were supposed to go.

A voice, a very small voice was getting louder...

This was his friend, a girl who had protected him and cared for him, even if she didn't want him as much as he had wanted her to. He was hurting her, he knew he was. The hand holding her wrists was getting numb from the sheer strength he had to exert to keep them over her head. Even without her rosario off, Moka was strong when she needed to be or became emotional, but here he had the advantage of position and leverage.

...for him to stop, to just let this go.

But for how long?

Louder.

He had to let her go sometime, right? After he was done, she could very well take off the rosario and kill him if her Inner Side was ever released. He was sure of it.

"Tsukune..." Moka sobbed into the night, her shoulders heaving with deep breaths trying to make her pleas heard. She wasn't fighting, wasn't straining, just weeping as Gin hovered over her, right there ready to go in. "...help me, Tsukune...please...please, help me..."

Just like that night.

Those were the same words she cried and he didn't come for her then and he wasn't going to come for her now.

It was too late and that once loud voice inside of him was nothing but a whisper now.

He hated Tsukune. Morioka Ginei's life was supposed to be one beautiful ascension to be a legend, a man's man who everyone wished they could be. No one was supposed to thwart him so easily by being humble, polite, gentle and meek! The strong and confident were what everyone wanted to be and because of one person, him, this all got twisted around and he was just supposed to take it.

Fuck That.

"I asked you from the moment you walked in here, Moka, if you wanted this and you said yes. If you have a problem with it now, it's too late. It's too late very anything."

Spitting on his his fingers to his free hand, he rubbed the saliva on the head of his dick and grabbed his shaft at the base. Moka saw him do this and she squealed in a renewed frenzy.

It was going to happen now and even as much as she fought, with how he was positioned and now her entrance lubricated and the pressure of him guiding himself expertly in an event he has mastered, Moka knew there was nothing, physically, she could do to stop him.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, she said the only thing she could think of to protect herself...

...and her child.

"I'm pregnant!"

* * *

Ria's had wanted to shout for joy, right then and there, but she knew what was happening. Mother Akasha was on her way and she would be there in who knew how long. Moka's mother would bring a vengeance that would be biblical. What she wanted to happen, though, was not.

Ria needed to buy Gin some time and prepare her alibi.

Pushing a speed dial number on her phone, she put into action a measure to prevent Mother Akasha's intervention.

* * *

In a flash of black fire, Bloodriver Akasha appeared a few blocks from where her daughter and that lump of meat mongrel had to be. Closing her eyes, she pushed her senses to their limits, feeling the youkai to all monsters in the near vecinity and seeking her daughter's scent. She wasn't used to the electronic devices of GPS or even desired to seek a vehicle to take her places.

She was a creature, a predator, a dominate species of hunter and her senses were keen.

In a not too far distance, she was almost sure she could hear her daughter's voice and smell gun oil along with Moka's lingered scent.

It was faint, but good enough to follow.

Just as she was about to summon herself close to that direction, her phone rang.

Had it been anyone but Ria's tone, she would have ignored it to seek out a vengeance she felt was long overdue.

Pressing the 'send' button, she asked in a very, no nonsense voice, "Make it fast."

"Communication between my team and I is spotty, but from what I can see Moka was able to get away from Gin-"

Akasha took the phone away from her ear and looked at it, unsure how to proceed with what she wanted to do. She knew Ria very well could be trying to play a game with her, but there was still the basic laws of monsters and humans she was ready to break if that stupid boy was still hurting Moka.

This was a gamble and it was all hanging on the words of a woman Akasha knew would be only all too eager to see Moka suffer.

Akasha wasted just one more second to think it through. "Why should I believe you?"

Ria seemed to be expecting this and said something that Akasha couldn't help but accept.

"If anyone is to humiliate Moka, it will be my Lord Father or myself, Mother Akasha. That honor is ours."

Inhaling slowly, her rosario straining to withhold the flaring youkai about to seep through out her core, she could only nod mutely. This was, also, something she was sure Ria would do.

"If you are trying to allow that thing to have his way with my daughter, Ria, and I find out you are lying to me," Akasha hiss, her most absolute venomous, heated promise, "whatever punishment I do to Gin will also fall upon your Lord Father."

Without waiting for an answer, Akasha put her phone away in a small pocket of her dress and disappeared in a flash of black fire.

* * *

Dumbfounded, Gin eyed Moka with unequivocal horror as if she had just said she had the plague. He released her as if the very feel of her burned him.

Taking that moment to shimmy away from him, Moka fell off the couch and scrambled to her feet to the farthest wall she could find, covering her legs with skirt to eye Gin worriedly.

Gripping her rosario to desperately pull it off, she felt it resist her.

It didn't budge.

She tugged at it several times and nothing happened.

_Why? Why had this happened? Why now?_ Moka screamed inside of herself, trying to find answers.

Inner Moka's voice was deathly silent.

Something was wrong, it had to be.

For now, though, all she did was watch Gin as he sat himself down on the couch and look at his hands as if he wondered if they had a life of their own. In a weird sense of perception, she could tell whatever sexual interest she had in her then was now long gone.

Moka tried to remember where the door to get out was and, realized, it was on the other side of the room. Could she make it if she ran? Looking at her feet, she had both of her sandals off and barefoot.

Slowly, while keeping Gin's unmoving body still on the couch, she began to shift towards the door.

She was afraid...so very, very afraid. Was he going to attack her again if she tried to leave? Was she okay?

Her hand strayed to her belly and was still sure her child...

Their child?

...was okay.

He turned his dark brown eyes towards her and she flinched, worried he was going to do something again.

Deciding to not take a chance, she got up, tripped over her feet and nearly walked on with her hands and knees to escape.

Gin laughed.

He laughed and laughed, hard and deep, mocking and loud.

"Go! Just go, Moka." He waved his hand at her, dismissing her without even looking at her anymore. "You got what you wanted. Congratu-fucking-lations, princess. Congrats."

Something inside of her tweaked, something...primal...something raw...something, like ...an awakening...

She felt it, from that voice she couldn't talk to before and wouldn't come out...it was her.

Inner Moka.

She was listening and it made her want to weep with how happy she was.

Shaking her head, Moka started to open the door to leave when she heard him throw out one last barb before her freedom was only one quarter turn of a knob away...

"You know something, Moka," Gin purposely caught her eye as he spoke with shameless triumph.

"Fucking you was so much easier when your husband was around."

Silence...

...dark...

...heavy...

...unfathomable...

...silence.

The knob in her hand left an imprint where her fingers started to crush it when she let it go. This strength wasn't available before because she was scared, worried, and, yes, ashamed of herself, but to throw this in her face, the immorality of her actions and be right about them so bluntly, did require some rebuttal for the man who not only tried to rape her, but acted as if his part in being the man who helped her end things with her most precious person somehow excluded him.

Then there was the fact that he mentioned Tsukune in a past tense and, while ignorant to his death, Moka felt it was an honor she had repeatedly failed to uphold but needed to do if she was ever going to scrape her dignity off the floor she had so mindlessly thrown herself to.

Gin's bare feet scraped on the wooden floor towards the kitchen, opening a drawer to grab a cigarette and light it. Blowing smoke in her direction, he huffed when he saw she had was just standing there, by the door, as if some child who was indecisive as what to do with herself.

"Didn't you fucking hear me, Moka? Just go!"

* * *

The team outside were still in position, unsure what to do should Moka come out. Thing could go back if they let things continued on and there was a call for police. These guys were used to quick extractions, executions, etc...but this waiting was wasting time and nothing was getting done.

On the other side of the door, Moka was just two steps away from seeing them.

A blaze of fire appeared between all of them, nearly surprising them to fire at the pink haired woman who seem to rise up from hell and condemn them.

She seemed ready to.

"Leave," was all she said.

Since she wasn't threatening them or attempting to breach the point of entry, the leader called out, "Ria-sama, we have a visitor and she's asking us to depart. Your orders?"

Akasha slowly reached for the man's ear piece, easy and unalarmingly pushed the equipment towards her own ear. Staticy and barely decipherable, Ria's voice came through, "Stand...down...ab-hort...a...ort."

"What is she saying?" They glanced at each other and then their womanly guest with a very, very violent aura.

"Abort." The leader decided to say out loud.

Glancing at each other and then the woman who gingerly gave back the ear piece to their appointed leader, they shuffled off to the SUV still waiting for them. After a few doors slammed shut, they drove off in a squeal of tires and sharp turns.

Akasha was right outside the door Moka was about to leave.

She wanted to see how things were now and, if Gin so much as did anything, he would feel a retribution that would be more immediate than the one she was trying to envision for later.

If she went in there right now, she would smear Gin's pieces all over the block. For now, Moka was doing her part to protect herself and her child.

It was the hardest thing Akasha had to endure to know that as much as she wanted to help, this was something Moka had brought upon herself and needed to fix by herself.

Now, she was curious as to how Ria's phone was working so well one moment and then not working another?

* * *

The back to Ria's phone was laid open and the antenna was loosened just enough to give minute transmission capabilities. It wasn't hard to do and it should seem enough to convince Akasha if she had picked up the ear piece.

_Now_, Ria clipped everything back together and tossed her phone by the laptop,_ back to the show._

* * *

"What did you say?" Moka's normally sweet, child like-voice, that was now raw from screaming and crying, was hoarse and scratchy.

"I just don't get it," Gin poured himself a shot of whiskey, emptying it with one hit. "I can't get you off my _dick_ the moment I walk in your door when you called and now...now," He gestures to his home, "I bring you home, have a night of singing, dancing, fighting and you want to act like I haven't been _inside_ you? Oh, yeah, by the way, are you even sure the baby's mine? Hell, are you even pregnant?"

Turning to face him, Moka shook her head in incomprehension. Was this really the Gin who had once been someone she could entrust her life to and he to her?

"I'm very sure, Gin. That was what I wanted to talk to you about when I called you. I had just got the results not so long ago and you're the only I've been with in over two months."

Pouring himself another shot, Gin pulled on his cigarette and chased the smoke with another drink. Cheeks burning, he laughed when he could. "Well, well, well...Who would have known, huh? You know, this could have went completely different. Who would have thought you'd be this fucking crazy, Moka. I mean, if you just wanted another man to watch you while we fuck, I have friends that could come around and we-"

"You're such a monster, Gin," Moka whispered, loud enough for him to hear and with so much heated accusation he lowered his cigarette down to glare at her. "You...are an animal, a cruel, stupid, ugly, person with no soul. How could you even feel like that towards him or towards me?"

Throwing the shot glass on the floor, the glass fell about the tile sounding like little raindrops. "Don't fucking look down at me! You don't understand me at all and-"

"You're wrong!" She shouted back, her teeth bared. "I understand you now because I have been trying to figure out, since the moment I saw you at the Kareoke bar, to that stupid club, when I got you the drinks, endured you putting your hands on me, dealing with that stupid flock of fan girls, and even coming here! I wanted to know something or what about you I needed answers to when I didn't even know the questions! Why had I done anything with you after what happened? Why did I come here just to be treated like your puppet? Your little play thing that blatantly had no purpose to you yet you kept me around this whole night for the sake of having me, Aono Moka, at your beck and call? Why?"

Moka's fist went to her heart, her beating heart that was so loud now that she could hear it about to come out of her chest.

"Why..."

He snorted at her. "Get to the point and leave. You're already annoying me."

Her hands went to her eyes as if realizing why, indeed, she had come with him.

"Because we're the same."

Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he looked at her as if she gave him some kind of epiphany that he had yet to realize.

"What?"

"We're the same, Gin," Moka's fingers went to her left hand that still, even after everything, had her wedding ring on. "Everything you've done to me, right here, now, almost on your couch and everything you're used to having with those stupid girls at the club down to how you see women should be treating you...That was how I was to Tsukune and how he probably felt around me."

Gin actually let the thought roll around in his head.

"Those women, every single one of them would fall on their backs for you, do anything you asked on a whim if you so much as suggested it. Tsukune," She held her ring to her breast, "My precious, _precious_ Tsukune was just like all of them. He would have done anything for me, everything. All I had to do was tell him, suggest it, maybe give a little push here and a little push there, but, in the end, I always got what I wanted from him. Now, like this," She gestured to herself and to him, "This was exactly what I did to him, Gin. What you tried to force onto me, because you're so used to getting what you wanted. This was the same ugliness that I did to him that night and I am so ashamed of myself. I am the same as you, a rapist of heart and soul. I am as loathsome and unworthy of him just as you are. Sadly, in a weird twist of karma and justice, we do deserve each other."

"Fuck you, Moka," Gin started to walk away, "Get out of here."

Moka simply nodded, ready to leave without another word...

...but that was not to happen. She needed to make one final point clear.

"You really are nothing compared to him,"

Gin stopped in his tracks and looked over her shoulder at her.

"You wonder why, all this time Kurumu, Mizore, Ruby, Yukari, everyone of us chased at him, heart and soul, bodily and eagerly when you had so many other things over him? Yes, you're more charming, handsomer, and taller, but you are not even HALF the man he is," Moka spat, her green eyes alive with the first taste of malice at her past husband's defense.

Gin couldn't believe what he just heard. Turning his head here and there, he realized this was all getting broadcasted live.

* * *

The four woman had just been dropped off at the Karaoke bar and were about to part ways, when Akane, still holding her phone sideways for everyone to see the live feed threw her head back and howled in laughter along with everyone else.

"I always knew he was a creep. Good riddence."

"Get'm girl!"

"Give him one for us!"

"He scares me now."

One by one, they huddled around the little screen to witness what thousands of other women and fans of Gin's gloriously build little empire fall from grace.

* * *

"Shut up, Moka!" Gin roared, ready to stride over to her and, looking back at him fearlessly and, with a small sense of remorse, Moka did not shy away from him.

"We all wanted him because he put us before himself! Everything you do is for your own sense of acknowledgement! How pathetic! All you do is try to prove to yourself over and over again that you matter! How? You fight in bar! You play video games!" She gestured to the big screen TV and game system, "you drink yourself stupid and fuck woman for the sake of leaving your mark!"

She rubbed her face with hands to blink back the tears, "Yes, fine! You're great at sex, but that is all you're good at. You know how to touch a woman because that's all you are! That is the limit of your substance and even then, you lack a heart, a soul. I allowed myself to be on the receiving end of your touch after you've had who knows how many women and I'm disgusted."

"You sure as hell didn't seem to mind when you held your own ankles, Moka." Gin shot back.

Chewing her lip, Moka nodded. "Actually, I did, Gin. I didn't see you making love to me, but me getting back at Tsukune. That is where my passion and my pleasure came from that night. You were just a tool to be used to get what I wanted just like you wanted me for a tool to get what you wanted now."

Moka's hands went to her stomach in deep seeded regret. "We all knew this about you back then, Gin, and, the saddest part, is that you could have made something of yourself! You DO have potential to be more than a sad excuse for life by just getting by chasing skirts and breaking hearts! You're like a little boy still playing with toys!"

Now he approached her and she, in return, approached him.

"What? Are you ready to hit me, Gin? Are you ready to look me in the eye and see the woman carrying your child? Are you going to hit me? Rape me? I'm not going to let myself be afraid of you."

While her lips quivered and her large green eyes still showed a shaky resolve, it was still there. That woman he knew back then, the one that loved Tsukune and was the source of the protection each and everyone of her friends, and his, had sought after to seek help when they needed her.

"This is who Tsukune saw that night, didn't he? This...you," She gestured to him with her hands. "This is who I brought into my home, took to our bed, and allowed to dirty myself and my happiness. I can see how it must have looked like to him...how he must have seen you as I do now...and I pity myself for being that utterly and obscenely stupid. I can see why he would fall out of love for me. I can see how much he must have loved me if it was still hard for him to let me go after everything."

"Get...out." Gin grabbed her shoulder and was about to drag her to the door.

He was not ready for the hand that crossed from behind her and slashed across his face.

She hit him...hard.

It made him flinch a bit and glare his most vehement glower.

"Those eyes...those are the same eyes I must have given Tsukune when he fought like hell to keep our marriage and still stand up for what he believed. Now, it's like a part of me in you is giving me a small bit of retribution. I deserve that look, those eyes."

Looking at her ring as if seeking answers, she spoke softer, weaker. "I also pity you, Gin." She gestured around herself, "This is probably the highlight of your life and you'll never be anything more than a little boy. At least with Tsukune, he knew how to love and be loved. That's why we all fought for him, even when you were so readily available to our girlish needs, we ignored you. We'd rather take a small chance of spending a little time with him than endure your incompetent attempts of sincerity."

Tilted her head with her hands on her hips, she spoke to him with self depretiation. "As much as I want to hate you, Gin, I have to accept in order for me to do that, I have to hate myself. I did this to me as much as you've have. In time, I hope I can find something inside myself that can be the woman who can raise a child and teach them to be EVERYTHING Tsukune would have wanted them to be. I may be exactly like you and hate myself for it, but I'm not going to be anymore. I refuse to."

* * *

Akasha heard it all through the door.

She smiled.

"I'm proud of you, my daughter." Placing a kiss on her fingertips, she touched it to the piece of glass between them. "I'll protect you as much as I can, but not in the open. What I plan to do to the father of you child was not meant for you to witness. He'll know the depths of his shame in a way that only a mother could give."

She flashed fired in a black pyre and reappeared just far enough to keep an eye on the door at the building across the way, just to be sure Moka got out unscathed.

* * *

Spitting blood out of his mouth, he wanted to say something, but found he couldn't when Moka turned to walk towards the door and open it, letting the cool night wind hit her, letting the fresh air sanitize the smell of cigarette and beer that seemed to linger.

It felt like the first steps to redemption.

"Maybe in time, when you are ready, Gin, you can learn to stop hating yourself enough and me to see there is more to life than this. You may even be able find real friends again. Hopefully, you can make one person out there look past all of your faults and be the person who was once worthy of love. Just like I hope I can."

The door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

Akasha nodded in acceptance as she watched her daughter walked away with the smallest bit of pride holding her head up. Yes, she had done many foolish things and was paying for them, dearly.

Who was Akasha to judge? She had also done no less and lived with that regret to this day. Look at the mess her daughter's life was and how powerless, at times, she to do anything less than hole her up in the castle?

It was very possible the council would request that very act once they saw this.

If they saw this.

Sighing in frustration, she thought about Baron Teppes and the acts that were going to need to be negotiated after all. Thinking about that, she also realized Ria might be a problem as well. Heavens knew what that woman would or wouldn't do if Akasha's ex mate and Ria's father asked it of her.

There was trouble on the horizon and she had little time to prepare for it.

Still, there was that boy...

Akasha would take care of him. She swore it.

In another flash of black fire, she disappeared.

* * *

Rubbing his jaw, Gin silently fumed. Impotent fury just reeked from him as he looked at where each and everyone of the cameras resided on the walls. Everyone, all of his fans, his expectant viewers hoping to see if he could keep his claim to greatness saw it and there wasn't a single thing he could do to 'unsee' it.

Getting back on his feet, Gin stumbled back into the room where his server hummed. Taking a look at the single web cam that was hooked right next to the one Sun would see him use, he was able to get a peek at himself through the lenses image.

A deep bruise was settling in the reflected image and, peeking below that on the monitor, was a looong stream of comments about his performance.

"Fuck..."

All of them were negative and, some, were calling him 'rapist, bitch, loser, scrub, wife beater, trash...'

"Show's over." he turned the camera off as well as all the others. Scrolling through the website's comments, he had yet to see anyone leave something positive. Sitting in his chair, still naked, he reached for the silented cell phone in arm's reach and winced in dread. The list of message on his phone were over 30.

"Damn it," he growled, ready to throw it against the wall when he saw a number calling him.

He decided out of all the ones he received, this one was worth answering.

"Hey Lujuria,"

As she spoke, it was obvious she was saying something worth while. "Really, huh? It's still on?"

He waited for her to finish. Glancing at the comments on the screen and then at the last picture of Moka standing over him, looking defiantly and proud, he spoke with just the slightest bit of eagerness. "Of course she'll still participate. I gave my word, right? What time?"

He typed out the location on the computer's notepad.

Club SubStandard basement 8pm tomorrow.

"I'll be there."

Lujuria spoke to him again and Gin chuckled, rubbing his still burning cheek. "Oh, Moka won't be a problem, I promise you. I don't plan to lose, Lujuria, so it won't matter if she's there or not."

She spoke again.

"Lujuria, I know what the stakes are and I'm said she's fine with it. The bet was who ever wins the fight between Dakitora and I, we get to have the other's girlfriend for the night. Trust me, I can't wait to show you a good time."

Sultry succubus laughter oozed out of the ear piece.

"I'm looking forward to it too, baby. See you then."

He clicked the End button and glanced back at the comments staring back at him. "Fuck all of you."

Getting off his chair to walk away, if he would have scrolled up along the list of comments, he would have seen one particular statement that would have made him worry.

_Shewhorules: I'll see you soon._

* * *

**Back in Las Vegas...**

A yellow taxi cab stopped in front of Devil's Little Angels with both sides of the back doors opening.**  
**

"Are you sure this is where we'll find her, Mother?" A beautiful girl with shoulder length, lavender hair and pupil less light lavender eyes asked in a mild voice around her lollipop to the woman paying the cab driver.

"Of course, Mizore-chan," Spoke Tsurara, neatly straightening her silvery white kimono to stand by her daughter. "This is where her and her debaucherous sister work."

Mizore's lingered at the long line of less than reputable people entering the club. "Are you sure we should ask her about Tsukune? Remember what happened way back then when Kurumu had to escape? I don't want there to be any problems." Glancing down at her stomach and giving it an affectionate rub, Mizore's eyes lit up in a pretty, joyous smile. "I'm still so happy."

"I know you are," Tsurara walked forward to approach the two mean looking guards. "Now lets see what is going on with Tsukune and his wife. He may need our help and any attempts I try to get through to Youkai have been blocked."

"Yes, Mother." Mizore followed her into the masses trying to get into Devil's Little Angels.

"Do you think Kurumu will be happy to see us?"

"I don't know, Mizore-chan, but I know I can't wait to see that whore of a mother find out we got to Tsukune before they could."_  
_


	20. Ch 20 Old Rivalries

**AN: A song will be used in this chapter: Nasty Girls by Vanity 6. I highly suggest watching it on youtube and seek out their performance on Soul Train. This is where I got the idea for the three dancers up front. I don't own Vanity 6, their song, etc...Enjoy the song and listen to it when while reading it. You get a sense of what's going on! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Your Mistress.**

* * *

Take What Is Yours

Ch 20 Old Rivalries

**Flashback**

**Las Vegas****, West Side Cemetery...**

At most visits to loved ones in America, it was considered uncommon to light incense in front of the grave marker. Ageha kept to her Japanese custom by having her husband's thick tombstone keep a few when she came by to visit every now and then.

Sticking two into a small vase filled with sand, she lit it and clapped her hands twice along side her sister Shade. After praying silent to Kami for her beloved soul's peace in heaven, Ageha did what she always did: Curled up on the dirt, be it mud, weeds, in an expensive dress or whatever, and lay as close to her most cherished person and allow herself to be as close to him as possible.

Ageha had long since stop blubbering about what her and her nee-san had done to Kurumu's Destined One and just stared out into space. The very thought that she had participated in the unforgivable act was as monstrous to herself as what Moka had done to Tsukune.

Only someone who has loved and been loved as a succubus could truly understand the depths of emotion inside her broken heart right now.

She wondered if she was luckier than her daughter, being she at least had the honor of loving her husband for a few years before his passing. Ageha had known that love and, yes, she didn't mourn him openly anymore now that she lived a life of sex and outlandish partying. She would never let another man into the most delicate and vulnerable places that she had let her husband, ever: her soul.

To everyone else, that part was gone except for the very select few and those where family.

Tsukune, unfortunately, was not the exception.

Did she love Tsukune like most of his little harem or her daughter?

No.

Her feelings for him were askew. Yes, she did wish he would have chosen her daughter from the beginning of Kurumu's confession to him. She, and everyone was well aware of, Moka had been the successor in that aspect by meeting him one whole day in their lives.

It was almost amusing.

No, she didn't love Tsukune and she felt no shame admitting that, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware the boy had potential and would have made a great husband and Destined One to her daughter.

Kurumu was her sprite minded, feisty 'go getter' in everything she did and she adored everything about her as Ageha did her sister and her husband.

Morale codes and 'normal' expectations aside, Ageha was not the normal mother who loved like most human societies expected. She was a succubus and a damn good one. While other mothers expected Ageha to prepare her daughter for the life of accomplishment through academics, possibly join the work force in some trade, or even find a content life as someone's wife, there was really only one thing Succubi did and they usually exceeded beyond normal perceptions.

They were creatures who instilled longing and desire. Sex, was a very easy and manipulating skill to dominate the wills of the any male species.

That being what it was, Ageha couldn't help but feel no true love for Tsukune when he had done what any succubi mother would consider a corruption to their daughter.

He ruined her.

In human societies, when a girl was 'ruined' at a young age, it usually involved her having premarital sex too soon, getting pregnant, having a terrible reputation for being promiscuous, etc...

To a succubus, it was normally the other way around.

Kurumu was a virgin and shied away from sexual intimacy as if it bothered her to be that close to a man.

While she had heard rumors that she had her first kiss by her friend Mizore, which she didn't judge negatively at all because experimenting was not only allowed but expected, it did nothing to quell the fear that Kurumu was always going to be a virgin.

That just wasn't natural.

Still, that thought was just something in passing considering the most heart breaking of them all.

Tsukune was gone. Other than the obvious grief of having a loved one's demise be terrible, it was epically tragic that Kurumu's Destined One be the only man in her whole life that she could ONLY truly, deeply, and soulfully fall in love with.

Period.

Everyone else who may or may not know Kurumu's affection or tender gestures would be given half hearted at best.

Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and everything that made one creature seek out another for bonding on a level unable to be described by words only by the simple act of giving themselves over to another in their most vulnerable way, Kurumu would never know how that feels to be accepted or have the joy of giving that part of herself to another.

Did Ageha love Tsukune?

No, she almost hated him right now. Because of him, her daughter's hopes, dreams, and fragile maiden's heart would never, ever find her place in society where she belonged among other succubi.

However, that still didn't stop her from wondering where did she go wrong as a mother? Where did she go wrong as a woman her daughter needed to learn from? Why had she not prepared her better than she had? Above all, one question hovered over her brooding aqua haired head:

"What do we do, Ageha-chan?"

Shade's voice broke her out of her reverie. Her older sister came to sit down by her imotou's head, getting so she could lay Ageha's head on her lap with her arm curled by her cheek to play with her little sisters long locks of wavy hair. Ageha's eyes and mind were a million miles away as a single finger curled at the long blades of grass around her husband's tombstone. Ageha just shook her head.

"I really don't know."

Thinking about what would be the best thing or the right thing to do, it all had to fall upon the guidelines of this:

1.) They couldn't mention Tsukune's death for at least a month.

2.) It had to incorporate Kurumu never seeing him again.

The answer was easier to come up with than they expected.

* * *

**Flashback to the club 3 AM.**

The sign was still lit at Shade's club when they arrived. Bouncers were lingering around the front to see the crowd found their way back to their cars or into a cab without too much of a struggle. The music still thumped out a quieter beat letting everyone know that this was the last few minutes of the night and closing time was near.

Smoke and perfume, booze and sweat permeated the air. Ageha and Shade were welcomed with little waves, loud greetings, and some remarks about how the night had went.

"She's in back," one of the girls called from a seat near the stage, covering herself with a sweat shirt and enjoying a drink with a few friends. It was closing time and most of the girls who didn't have any duties were winding down.

Shade and Ageha glanced at the other, mentally preparing themselves for-

"Mommy!" Kurumu seemed to just flash out of thin air, blind siding both of them in an affectionate squeeze, shooting off a barrage of questions before either of them could start to answer them. "Auntie! How was the trip back to Youkai? Did Tsukune talk about me? Does he miss me? Is he coming by anytime soon? Does he need me to go visit him at the Academy? How are things between him and Moka? Does she need me to call her? Can I take a week off so I can-"

"Kurumu," Shade pulled the young succubus off of them both and did her best to keep an air of poise in front of her niece. "we need to talk."

Large azure eyes became haunted as she saw the subdued frowns between her mother and her auntie. The fact that Shade was calling her Kurumu and not 'Mumu-chan' was just another sign that something was, indeed, wrong.

As few of dates that Kurumu had gone on, every one knew, male or female, that when a conversation brought up the words, 'We need to talk', nothing ever good came out it.

"What's wrong?"

"Not here," Ageha's scratchy voice reached her daughters ears in a way that scared her. "In the back, now."

Swallowing hard, Kurumu simply nodded. Turning to the door behind them, they entered the main office and locked the door.

"You're scaring me, Mommy. What happened? Is Tsukune okay? Did things go bad between Moka and him?"

Shade and Ageha took turns exchanging glances, each one trying to build up enough courage to say what they agreed to say instead of explain what really happened.

"He's going to try and work things out with his wife, Kurumu." Shade finally spoke out in a rush, as if trying to peel a band aid off in a single rip.

Kurumu watched her and waited for more.

To their surprise, she took the news very well.

"I see."

Touching the small fairy clip in her hair, Kurumu sighed so deep is was as if her heart knew that was going to happen and, yet, it didn't hurt as much as she expected it to.

"I kind of figured they would, Mommy, Auntie. I mean, he really, _really_ loves her and he didn't exactly come here looking to try and bring me back. He just promised to see me some time in the future. Did he mention when?"

Shade and Ageha didn't realize that, while this line of trickery was affective and painless compared to the truth, it didn't exactly severe the connection they had hoped Kurumu would have to Tsukune.

"No, he didn't," Ageha took Kurumu's hands into her own, her large liquid azure eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you, baby."

Kurumu nodded, sniffing a little sadly in disappointment but not exactly unaware Tsukune would not offer her as much as she wished.

She had hopes, but they were just that: Hopes.

Tsukune was a man of his word and Moka was the girl he had always, _ALWAYS_ loved and would go back to. Who was she kidding to believe otherwise?

"I'm glad they're going to try and fix things. I wish them both the best." Kurumu gave them both a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for keeping an eye on him. I love you."

Kurumu disappeared in flurry of swishing hips and flouncing hair, but not to the front where she was still needed or to collect her share of the tips.

Taking a right instead of a left, Kurumu rushed up to her room and closed the door.

She didn't even change or take off her make up when her face hit the pillow to cry herself to sleep.

**End Flashback.**

* * *

WWWwwrrrrhhhhwwwrrrr.

The metal detector went off when Tsurara crossed the threshold of Devil's Little Angels.

"Uhmm...ma'am, do you have any weapons under this...robe?" The main bouncer approached her, gruffly yet professionally.

"It's a yukata and, yes, I do." Tsurara offered a polite smile with her hands folded in front of her.

"Would you please have them removed? We can check them in, but we can't allow you to have them inside the bar." He reached for a small box to hold a pistol or a knife, but when Tsurara pulled out twin automatic pistols, four cartridges, two hook blades, garroting wire, Kabar survival knife, taser, pepper spray, and two pairs of stilettos that looked exactly like hair pins from her up swept hair do, the people around her took a few steps back.

Even the most hardened brawler kept his distance from someone so well armed.

Who knew what else she had on her?

"I'm going to need more boxes," He sighed and sent an assistant to comply.

"Go on ahead, Mizore-chan this might take a while. I'll find you." Tsurara called off delicately, her smile still regal considering her armament.

"Yes, mother," Mizore began to weave her way through the throng of patrons and dive into the dark, noisy scene of patrons as small stage after stage was decorated with one gyrating girl after another passed her by.

An act had just finished when the lights went down and some performers were preparing to set up for a musical number. Curious, Mizore peered about to see how she could get away from all these men staring at her as if she was part of these workers.

Being stared at without another person's permission was rather romantic, but she was here to talk to Kurumu and her heart belonged to someone else.

Seeing girls coming in and out of the back door, Mizore shuffled pass to get on the other side of the stage and away from lingering eyes. Her skill as a stalker taking over, she eventually found a niche.

Three microphones were set up in front of the stage with three women in svelte dresses finding their marks. The one in the middle with dark, plum purple locks took the center as her two back up singers, both with Aqua-nette hair stood to her left and right.

All three had outstanding curves and posed with their backs to the crowd with hands on their hips.

As soon as the lights came on, a deep, simple but erotic beat began to play. Keeping in time with the thrumming pace, all three moved as one, rolling their hips, swaying their assets from front to back, looking sensual and amorous, their bodies replicating acts of sex efficiently and expertly as if it came second nature.

These were the calling of succubus and only Mizore and those in the crowd who were monsters knew it.

To everyone else, they were simply creatures built for sin and pleasure.

Since that was the belief of the consensus, who were they do deny? As if dared to prove anyone that such a claim was false, all three shamelessly moved with little motion, nothing overly large or energetic, but a slow, in step tempo that moved in expert gyrations. This was proof to everyone the three women were all too aware of what was in their armorous stock should any lucky man be able to earn their favor and receive their affections.

Music began to play loudly as they swayed to the side, fingers snapping at the height of their cervical apex, and pivoted so that the crowd could see their hungry desire.

Ageha and Kurumu were off center with Shade, taking the lead, and starting off with a look that promised a seduction in words.

_~~That's right, pleased to meet you_  
_I still won't tell you my name._  
_Don't you believe in mystery_  
_Don't you wanna play my game.~~_

_~~I'm lookin' for a man to love me,_  
_Like I never been loved before._  
_I'm lookin' for a man that'll do it anywhere_  
_Even on a limousine floor~~_

A new energy sprung from their bodies, from their voices as they oozed a honey'esqe sensuality, piercing the imaginations of their listeners with their sway, with their song, with their libidos. Men, woman, everyone had their eyes on the stage as every part of the trio they looked upon suggested and hinted with their breathy tone, smokey suggestions, and meaning behind meaningful lyrics.

Shade grasped the mic suggestively and moaned, relishing them as if she was in the middle of a rapturous self pleasured orgasm.

_~~'Cause, tonight I'm livin' in a fantasy_.  
_My own little nasty world_.  
_Tonight, don't you wanna come with me_?  
_Do you think I'm a nasty girl_?  
_Tonight I'm livin' in a fantasy_.  
_My own little nasty world_.  
_Tonight, don't you wanna come with me_?  
_Do you think I'm a nasty girl?~~_

Ageha and Kurumu leaned against Shade, arms around the other succubi's hips, swaying to the side, pushing from one hip to the other. Kurumu reached for the microphone, but it was Ageha who took from Kurumu's wrist, shaking her head and giving the crowd a bawdy wink.

It was her turn.

_~~I guess I'm just used to sailors_  
_I think they got water on the brain_  
_I think they got more water upstairs_  
_Than they got sugar on a candy cane_  
_That's right, it's been a long time_  
_Since I had a man that did it real good_  
_If you ain't scared, take it out_  
_I'll do it like a real live nasty girl should~~_

The song continued to play with the crowd going wild. Money fell like rain around them and it was as glorious sight to behold, three women expressing their sensuality and sexuality, putting words to thoughts to ideas, meaning to hopes.

Mizore didn't watch any part of the performance other than Kurumu's. Having spent countless hours watching facial expressions, anticipating emotions or actions through mere twitches, blinks, small frowns or bites of the lip, it didn't take an expert to see Kurumu was holding back her feelings.

How much? She wasn't sure.

Mizore's level of expertise usually ended with just the perceptions of what she could see. The heart was a tricky and delicate place, and who was she to try to intrude upon her friends own issues?

Touching her hand to her belly and unable to keep a smile from her own face, the answer came more out of instinct than deduction.

She was her friend.

* * *

When the song ended, Shade, Ageha, and Kurumu were on the floor scooping up the money by the handful, it was Kurumu, who pivoted her head to consider trying to reach past the stage to pick up a ten that had fallen on the floor, when she saw a pair of dainty white shoes come into her field of view.

They were regular slip ons, which wasn't so much of a big deal considering their clientele, but what caught her attention was the legs that followed them.

Actually, the stockings.

There was only one person who wore purple and lavender striped stockings, after all.

Shooting her head up to look at the serene and almost expressionless yuki-onna, Kurumu squealed, nearly launching herself off the stage and taking them both onto the floor as she buried the snow woman in an embrace as only a succubus could.

"Mizore-chan! How have you been? I missed you so much! I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!"

While Mizore took Kurumu's explosive greeting to heart, it simply didn't stop her from giving a slight blush at how her friend was babbling a hundred miles an hour, asking about the snow maidens family, her husband, how things were back in her village.

Doing her best to try and keep up, Mizore simply returned the affectionate embrace with one of her own, even if it was with just a little bit less enthusiasm.

Shade and Ageha witnessed the spray of money get flung in the air like a small paper explosion and Kurumu take a stage dive off the side of the catwalk, so her mother followed to investigate. After the quick shot squeal and spotting the light dark mauve tresses of the snow maiden, Ageha's eyes blinked in amusement.

"Oh? I don't know if Mizore-chan will like being in here. This is where the big kids play and I'm sure that Popsicle stick of a mother wouldn't appreciate being out past curfew."

Ageha's little barb had not left her mouth a few seconds before a chilling voice came from behind her. "You mean this Popsicle stick, you alley trash street walker?"

Spinning on her sole, Ageha gave her highschool rival a narrowing eye'd smirk to glare from up on the catwalk down at the elegantly dressed yuki-onna.

"Tsurara-chan, it's so good to see you," Ageha flicked her hair from her shoulder, "if you wanted to stalk the place out first to see what your husband could look forward to other than your boring thirty second romp attempts at sex, you could just give him my number and I'll personally-"

Blinking her large azure eyes in surprise, Ageha hopped onto the floor and gripped Tsurara by the chin, her eyes smoldering. "Who hit you?"

Tsurara made no move to take Ageha's cupped fingers from her face. Placing her own fingertips over Ageha's around her discolored cheek, Tsurara's smile never left her lips. Speaking in her soft, elegant melody, she simply replied, "I may take you up on your offer, Ageha. Right now, things have gotten...interesting back at the Snow Village."

"Are you in trouble?" Shade sat herself on the edge of the catwalk, her feet resting ontop of a table close by with her legs crossed.

"Not exactly," Tsurara admitted, but gave a look over her shoulder to where Kurumu was still in full throttle question mode to Mizore who had yet to say a word, but endured her friend's constant questions.

Unlike Kurumu, Mizore didn't know how to properly articulate how much she missed the bubbly succubus. It didn't mean she didn't feel the same, just not as expressive.

Kurumu finally finished her line of questions when Mizore placed a finger on Kurumu's lips and pulled out her lollipop.

"I missed you too."

And just like that, Kurumu almost burst into tears right then and there.

"Lets go back to my room," Shade gestured with a tilt of her head. "I've got a first aid kit and a nice bottle of sake."

Everyone agreed and soon followed through a dual set of swinging doors.

* * *

"Take a seat," Shade gestured towards a desk top with her red painted nails.

Tsurara dismissed the canopy of the desk and primly settled herself in a chair next to it.

Shade shrugged at her indifferently. It wasn't as if Tsurara was the first diva'esque woman to come by.

In the back, Ageha was pulling at a few drawers in the cabinent behind them, thrashing pieces here and there in a bit of a huff. Shade poked at a few slips of liqour invoices, building code updates, and even wage earnings including tip taxes that needed to be filed.

Tsurara took her time to watch Ageha and Shade in their environment outside of the sinful pagentry of stripping and playing up to men's desires. This was new to her, considering every time they crossed swords, it almost always ended in some kind of violent altercation that left egos humbled one way or another.

As much as Tsurara hated to admit it, stripping was a business as much as it was an artform.

"Where the hell is the ointment?" Ageha finally shouted, causing Tsurara, Shade, and even Kurumu to look at their mother in curious disbelief.

The woman was almost always cool and level headed, unless she was trying to stir up trouble with someone else or trying to defend her daughter.

"Mommy?" Kurumu peeled herself away from Mizore to inquire about her mom's sudden outburst.

Ageha stopped moving for a second, gave herself a few cleansing breaths, and shot her daughter a pretty smile she was used to plastering on to put people at ease.

"I'm okay, baby."

"I would ask what has your panties in a bunch, Ageha-_NoNo_, but I know you're not wearing any." Tsurara covered her lips in a mock gesture of scandal, however when Ageha turned around to snarl at her, she sighed out her passionate rebuttal and glared at the woman.

"Don't call me that!" Ageha shrieked, getting Kurumu's and Shade's attention. Who knew that she had a nickname like Kurumu? "You know that no one is allowed to kick your ass but me!"

Snow woman and Succubi stared at the other, a history between them that Shade knew in pieces and their daughters were only privy to through witnessing countless battles when one or the other crossed into the other's territory.

"That's very generous of you, but, in order for you to beat me, I would have to _let_ you." Tsurara responded, letting her pupil less blue eyes reflect a hint of old rivalry still smoldering.

"I think I did just fine twenty five years ago." Ageha got well within the elder snow maidens face, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "How is Toroshi, by the way? Still begging for forgiveness?"

Tsurara's swift inhale and coiled serpent like pose made grin widely, knowing her point had hit their mark.

Tsurara, on the other hand, took the painful history laden comment in stride and decided to strike back.

"I wouldn't know, but I do know that Hakoashi is doing wonderfully. They just celebrated their third child's seventh birthday and enjoying life to the fullest. I've got pictures in my purse if you want to see it."

Ageha's triumphant grin turned down as quickly as it came up.

"You did not beat me!" Ageha roared.

"I definitely didn't lose to you." Tsurara's voice was like poison.

Mizore and Kurumu glanced at the other, stupified at what they were witnessing. They definitely knew their mothers had been rivals at the Academy, but it was never explained why they had such a deep rooted hate with the other.

"Mother, what is going on?" Mizore approached her mother at the desk. Kurumu was luring Ageha away as well, making sure some distance was in order to keep things from getting bloody...again.

"I would like to know, too." Kurumu made sure to keep herself between Ageha's vision from Tsurara, hoping she could some how allivate some of the tension.

"Found it," Shade appeared with a small white box with a red cross on it, handing it to Ageha.

Indelicately, the elder blunette succubus snatched it from her older sister and strode to Tsurara.

Unafraid, even with her daughter's fingers gripping into her yukata sleeve, Ageha squeezed a little bit of the gel onto her finger and rubbed it on Tsurara's cheek.

Everyone expected the voluptuous matron succubus to slap a gob on the snow maiden's cheek, but, despite the obvious desire to do so, she lathered it gingerly.

It was as if they obviously had a history no one knew.

Except them.

"You know I still hate you." Ageha screwed the lip of the ointment and put it back in the first aid case.

Tsurara shrugged, "I never expected you and I to recover after the Academy."

"Okay," Shade spoke whatever one was thinking. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

"And why are you here?" Kurumu asked, eventually siding up next to Mizore, taking the hand of her friend and giving it a squeeze.

Turning to face their audience, Ageha and Tsurara did something they hadn't done in a long time...

...sat next to each other and not try to claw each other's eyes out.

"Why are you here?" Ageha asked, giving Tsurara a squint of her azure eyes.

"We just came by to see if you had any news about Moka and Tsukune," Tsurara inquired nochalantly.

Ageha and Shade both froze in their footsteps, purposely keeping their lips shut.

Kurumu decided to answer for the both of them. "I guess word gets around that they had a bit of a fight."

Mizore and Tsurara listened to the broken hearted succubus sigh in defeat. "He came by to visit me with Ruby and that little squirt Yukari. It was really good to see them. Anyways, Tsukune and I had a little chat and we had dinner. He even bought me a little gift. Isn't it cute?"

Kurumu proudly displayed the little fairy hair pin to everyone. Both snow maidens agreed it was indeed beautiful.

"Afterwards, he left with my Mom and Auntie to Youkai Academy. When they came back, they told me that him and Moka were going to try and work things out. Right, Momma?"

Ageha's was about to say something, but Shade silenced her with a shake of her head.

"I've got a nice bottle of sake here," Shade reached around and produced a porceline magnum from the shelf behind her. "Who wants some?"

Kurumu blinked at her auntie. Why was she trying to change the direction of conversation.

Handeling a few cups to everyone, including Kurumu and Tsurara, when she got to Mizore, she was politely held at arms length. "I can't."

"Why? Light weight?" Ageha teased in a nervous laughter.

It was all she could do to hold the glass steady in her hands. This direction of conversation was getting too close to revealing what happened to her daughter's Destined One.

"No, I'm pregnant."

Kurumu's pouted at Mizore jealously.

"Again? You're so lucky! I hate you!" Kurumu crooned, but still hugged her friend again. "How far along are you? When did you find out? Did you come all this way to tell us? How do the other kids feel about having a new little brother and sister? How does Siiko feel about being a dad again?"

Mizore watched Kurumu's joyful eyes, aware of the small beads of tears forming at the corners.

She really didn't want to hurt her feelings, but some questions had to be answered bluntly. The young mother again to be wasn't here for Kurumu, but for the man who had blessed her violently with another child.

Tsukune's child.

"Siiko is supporting my pregnancy as well as he has our other children. Considering the circumstances, he's taking it all well."

"Oh?" Kurumu tilted her head curiously. "Did he not want to have another child?"

Mizore shook her head, but it was Tsurara who spoke for her. "It's not his child."

Now Shade, Ageha and Kurumu looking at Mizore as if she had just announced she had done some unspeakable wrong.

Since she had everyone's attention, Mizore decided to clear the air right then and there.

"It's Tsukune's."


	21. Ch 21 Sorry

Take What Is Yours

Ch 21 Sorry.

A flicker of disbelief crossed Kurumu's face.

Her whole body paused, as if she heard something but it hadn't clicked or reality hadn't caught up with the words spoken. Small lips that were just smiling frowned, trying to comprehend what she had just been told. Feathery aqua blue eyebrows lifted into her hairline and her voice just left her, keeping everyone who had witnessed the confession from her snow maiden friend, keeping her from making a sound, a noise, a whisper of their own to attempt to dismiss Mizore's outrageous statement. Everyone held their breath, even Tsurara who already knew the validity of her daughter's claim, but waited to see how Kurumu would react.

Tsurara was also aware of the painful deportation to America Kurumu had suffered when her escapades got out of hand with Tsukune and his wife, and took no pleasure that day when she was told of the events that transpired.

Shade and Ageha shared a look, unable to confirm what they heard and try to keep their faces straight. Time of when and how long had it been since Tsukune's death to make the claim Mizore was not stating possible.

How long had it been since Tsukune's death?

Three weeks? Almost a month?

Since Tsukune demise, Aghea and Shade have been keeping Kurumu busy, making one day meld into the next. It wasn't easy and all they had to do was keep the truth of what happened a secret for few more days.

This, however, had been a turn of events none of them could have anticipated.

Kurumu's jaw worked as if to get out what she was trying to translate into sound, even going as far as to try and laugh. Her eyes sparkled, cheeks pulled till they showed teeth and even her lungs filled with air, ready to take the piercing testament Mizore had said as a dry attempt to a joke.

A very ill humored one.

However...

Placid, still, and cool blue eyes returned the gaze of her friend who she had not seen in years remained steady, steely, honest, and equally apologetic.

...the giggling titters never came.

Kurumu's face flushed a splotchy red, making her pretty soft lips pinch till they were a narrowed line. A vein pulsed from the side of her neck to the temple of her skull. Mizore, ever her friend, took her by the shoulders and spoke softly to her, "Do you know what is happening between him and Moka? Why is he so angry?"

The succubi sisters were already at Kurumu's side, their hands on her shoulders.

Hidden behind her long aqua bangs of her hair, Kurumu's eyes couldn't be seen as she lowered her head to stare, accusingly, at Mizore's stomach.

Silence.

Reaching at the top of her hair, Kurumu ripped her pin from her head...

...and threw it away like garbage.

The door behind them turned into splintered toothpicks when Kurumu clawed at it with six inch long claws, rushing past Mizore, her auntie, her mother, everyone and dashed off in a speed that left everyone standing still trying to figure out what happened.

"Move!" Shade yelled and everyone, like a mob, pursued Kurumu as she rushed down the back room of Devil's Little Angels and towards the back entry way.

No one could keep up with her.

Turning left and then right, veering around corners and breaking through doors, Kurumu eventually found the freedom of night when she nearly ran into the wall from the building across the alley of the strip club.

Behind her, the padding of her mother and auntie's heels clacked as well as the soft shuffling of Mizore and Tsurara's shoes just ahead of them.

She screamed.

It wasn't even a sound of voice but more a wail of emotional, unfathomable anguish.

Mizore and Tsurara were the first to see what they knew was the breaking of so many, many laws. Her mother, auntie, everyone around could only hope they were experiencing some kind of illusion when they saw the flapping wings and tail of their little girl, their beloved Kurumu take off into flight in her full succubus form.

"Mumu-chan," Shade could only gawk, witnessing the one cardinal sin of every monster.

Never let humans know monsters exist.

"Kurumu!" Ageha shrieked, launching herself into the skies to chase after her daughter, unafraid to share the same consequences that could follow her own little girl's should she receive any.

On an instinct that came out of experience to keep hidden, Mizore and Tsurara glanced at Shade and nodded in silent agreement.

They HAD to help conceal Kurumu's presence.

Placing her hands on her head, closing her eyes, and forcing a strong youkai within herself to build up, Shade's whole body began to glow an eerie pale green aura.

Tsurara and Mizore were transforming into their true monster selves, angelic ice statues of uncomprehending beauty to normal human imaginations. The air that surrounded them exploded into a chilling frost that was paranormal to the normal sultry Las Vegas temperament.

* * *

"What is that?"

People surrounding Devil's Little Angels stared at a creature flying out into the heavens that resembled a woman sporting bat like wings and wailing frightfully, as if suffering some curse that couldn't be cured by natural means. Too quick, too nimble, too violently awkward was the movements of the 'thing' that everyone who saw it wasn't exactly sure if what they saw was exactly what their minds registered it was.

All they could say was that whomever or whatever it was, the cry it gave seemed so horribly sad and frighteningly sorrowful.

In an instant after it's departure, a chill, something cold and frosty turned the air into fog, as if an explosion of clouds erupted from the alley way of the club and into the streets of the main strip.

The unexplained condition begin to raise questions and even more panic.

* * *

Building up her youkai as high as she could get it, Shade released a pulse of her power like a ripple of energy hitting everyone within a growing radius as far as she could.

* * *

"Wow! Did you hear that? Devil's Little Angel's is having an all you can drink night under fog! Lets go!"

Everyone within a five hundred yard radius had the same collective thought and proceeded to rush forward towards the establishment with the cool fog effects announcing the event.

For some reason, they couldn't remember what happened to them for the last five minutes.

Who cared? There was drinking to be done!

* * *

Shade buckled where she had been standing and holding her head as if trying to keep it from splitting.

"That should keep most of the people who saw her leave from here forget what just happened." She groaned while supporting a bit of a nose bleed as well as a small trickle falling from her left ear.

Mizore and Tsurara were pushing as hard as they could to keep the fog going. It wouldn't be easy considering the usually warm climate of the Vegas night.

"Hurry up and bring our girl home," Shade whispered to the night, hoping her plea would reach her sister.

* * *

_Higher…higher…higher…._

She was already breathing hard, but the burn in her lungs was nothing compared to the acidic fire in her heart. Kurumu wanted to be angry at him, hate him, scream at him and even hurt him…

_Higher…must get higher…and higher!_

…but she couldn't. She knew if she saw him now, yes she would be angry, yes, she would be furious, and, yes…yes…

_More! I need to get more altitude!_

…yes, she would forgive him as soon as he looked at her.

And, for that, she hated herself.

Kurumu hated herself for loving him so much. Why did she feel this way? It wasn't natural anymore! It wasn't right! She was beautiful, funny, loving, caring, and loyal! She didn't deserve this! Why can't she look outside of her Destined One and find someone else to make her feel worthy of their love when all she felt was foolish!

She tried.

She really, really tried.

With Trevor, with other customers, she had flirted with the idea of what it would be like to have someone else consider her as a girlfriend, a wife…hell, even a one night stand!

The options and opportunities were unlimited! It wasn't as if the desire from men was as apparent to her. All she had to do was open her eyes and there were men who would throw themselves at her feet should she even hint at it.

However, as soon as the thought flitted inside her mind, it quickly fell apart like water through a strainer.

It just wasn't possible and it was also just so unfair!

Why did she choose him? Why did she allow herself to expect him to be her Destined One when she knew…knew, knew, knew he was in love with Moka?

Was this her own pride taking over her limited logic? Did she feel she could take the boyfriend of a vampire? Did she feel regular boys were so little of a challenge that she had to test herself and attempt to attain the unattainable?

What was the charms of a succubus compared to that of a vampire's?

Kurumu knew so long ago, from the moment she witnessed Tsukune ask Moka to marry him, to the ceremony she was a bride's maid to…

…she had lost.

Looking down at the bright, balmy lights of the Vegas strip, she thought how beautiful it looked from her view point. Now, if only she had someone with her to share the sight with…

"Kurumu!"

Capturing a sparkle reflecting moonlight off the sequins of her mother's outfit, it didn't surprise her to see her mother come after her. Although, she glanced around to see if her auntie had come as well, but even that was hard to tell as one thought crossed her mind…

Leathery dark purple wings stopped flapping and Kurumu plummeted to the earth at remarkable speeds.

…will her mother forgive her?

The air rushed around her body like a gale, the wail of it made her deaf to her mother's panic cries as she shot to the lights of Vegas like a bullet.

Would it hurt? She wondered briefly as the ground got closer.

Closer…closer…closer…

Eyes shut, she didn't want to see when she would impact the earth or where. Her only hope would be that Tsukune and everyone wouldn't know what happened to her. She prayed that Mizore would not blame herself for what she did, it wasn't her fault that this had happened.

She was being selfish, she knew, but it didn't matter.

Kurumu had had enough and it was time to make the pain go away.

A part of her could almost 'feel' the ground getting closer, as if her instincts were yelling at her to pull up or it would be too late.

She laughed at herself. Where were those instincts when she needed to forget Tsukune? Where were they when she needed to do what was required of her to try and find happiness for herself and forget the boy who meant more to her than her own life?

Would he be sad that she did this to herself when he found out?

She would like to think he would.

Kurono Kurumu wanted to shake her head, but it was almost impossible now with whistling of air rushing past her like a banshee's wail.

A voice.

Her instincts as a daughter nettled at her thoughts that was able to push her eyes open in time to see her mother matching her own speed, but still too far away to do anything.

Kurumu had never seen her mother look so frightened, so scared, so unbelievably...unpoised?

Now that was a silly thought.

However, her words. Even though she couldn't hear what her mother was saying, even when her mother's hair whipped about her face and her dress had come off one shoulder, with Ageha's hands outreached and that pitiful, out reached hands to her, Kurumu could read her mother's lips as if she was whispering in her ear.

_"I'm only alive because of you."_

Another thought lazily floated into Kurumu's crazed, self defeated mind...

_"If I had a daughter, and she was doing this, how would I feel?"_

Looking up, or down considering she was inverted, she saw how close she was and how fast she was going.

It was there, right there. The tops of the building were like large dots growing bigger and bigger...

Could she do this to her mother? If she was a mom, could she be able to endure this if her child decided their own life wasn't worth living? What would she do if she witnessed this?

Bigger...

...bigger...

Looking back up, she saw Ageha struggle, push herself beyond her physical limits, even going as far as flaring her youkai into her wings and propelling herself like some kind of jetted rocket towards Kurumu.

She was catching up.

Closer...

...closer...

They were going too fast now and the ground was coming at them at a speed that promised impact.

Aghea didn't care, she was picking up enough momentum to catch Kurumu...

Kurumu cried, right then and there.

It was her fault that everything was happening and now her mother was close enough to see that she was sorry.

Sorry for what?

Sorry for killing them both.

She was sorry for everything and it was just too late to tell anyone else.

Was she mad at her?

Kurono Kurumu didn't know, but all she knew was that she was sorry.

Sorry...

...sorry...

...sorry.


	22. Ch 22 Presence

Take What Is Yours

Ch 22 Presence

Yukari had a lot to catch up these last few weeks when she became a regular part of the staff again. Through the assistance of her family and Ruby, she still required a wheelchair to get from one place to another, but she tried to make do with a walker when she wanted to put some weight on her muscle to keep from atrophying. While it confused her parents and Ruby why she was still affected by the serum that had kept her somewhat immobile because it should have been metabolized to nothingness now, she still suffered from some residual lack of motor capacity. Even in spite of her disability, it didn't even begin to mend the stab wounds to her when she was brought up to date on matters at hand through her parents.

She was extremely distressed to know she had not had a chance to free Moka from her punishment during the trial when the accusations were thrust upon her during that mock of a trial to prosecute Tsukune.

Tsukune…

Her friend and husband to her equally precious person in the world had suffered a horrible blow that had left Yukari reeling when she was informed that he had been 'killed'. Even when Ruby comforted her by confirming he was brought back to life, she had demanded to see Tsukune immediately. After she had been allowed to just stay with their dejected friend with some hard but confirming facts, Yukari was lead back to the lab by her mother and father, mulling over everything, as they reminded her that special duties were being put into play that required her attention. As much as she hated to, Yukari left Ruby and Tsukune to their own devices. He was still trying to get back on his feet and Ruby, who hovered around him diligently, was never more than an arms length away.

Her sempai and Tsukune had bridged that line of 'just friends'. How far? She didn't know, but it was there in everything they did.

As much as she wanted to object that he was still married, she kept herself silent about it. After what Moka did, there was very little defense she could put up for her, as much as she wanted to.

Watching their new found relationship and how the Exorcist had set up such an elaborate well executed degradation of both her friends, the young witch was unable to find a proper outlet for her frustrations.

_Seriously, Mikogami was crazy! How could he do that to him and to Moka?_

If there was one bit of happiness that came from any of this melodrama...

_Tsukune and Ruby-sempai look really happy. Is it wrong of me to think it's wrong?  
_

Mrs Sendo placed an inquisitive hand on her daughter, sensitive to daughter's moods after seeing her wrecked like someone ran her over with a proverbial freight train.

"I'm okay, desu." She reached up and confirmed her answer with her own delicate touch.

Sharing a mutual look with her father, who had been at both of their sides or gravitated towards their daughter when Ruby wasn't around, they head towards the thick wooden door to the Headmaster's chambers.

In front of them was Kuyou, taking them there as an escort under the Exorcists request. With his broad shoulders squared in front of them and the heavy heel falls of his steps thudding on the floor, it was, without a doubt, less of an escort than a verbal chain pulling them to their destination.

_More of a demand_, Yukari thought without voicing.

The Kitsune demon was not known for his levity.

As the doors creaked open, the family of witches knew things were never good if a request to see the Head Master was sent by the one person in charge of eagerly doing the most harm to humans and creatures alike.

So they obeyed.

"My Master, the family Sendo, as you requested." Kuyou entered the Chairmain's chamber with the Exorcist sitting behind his large desk.

Two eerie white eyes flickered from one arcane user to the next, eventually turning to the head of his Personal Guard.

"It would seem there has been a problem that requires our attention." Mikogami called from the depths of his cowl.

Kuyou simply nodded. "What do you require of me?"

Steepling his fingers, Mikogami's answered darkly, "A certain someone has made a very public and near unexplainable spectacle in the human world. I need you to bring her here at once."

Pushing a piece of folded paper to the front of his desk, Kuyou lumbered over to it and picked it up with his gloved fingers. Flicking it open, he grinned toothily, hungrily, and eagerly.

"It will be my pleasure, Master."

With that, he spun on his heel and left without another word.

All three witches kept a wary eye on their parting escort, feeling the blood thirst come off of him in waves.

Whoever he was going to retrieve had better know how to defend them selves or knew how to hide well. Kuyou was a relentless tracker and an elite monster even Vampires were not proud enough to dismiss carelessly.

"Master, you summoned us? Desu?" Yukari asked in her small voice as she sat stiffly in her wheel chair.

With a warmer smile, as much as one could be expected from a man who has probably just signed someone's death warrant and sent his largest bounty hunter on the prowl, Mikogami opened the drawer to retrieve a folder.

"How are you feeling, Yukari-san?"

Hunching away from his all too scrutinizing gaze, she mumbled, "I'm okay, I guess. My otou-san and ka-san, as well as Ruby are helping me walk when I can. Tsukune and I have wheelchair dates every so often with Ruby being nice enough to cook for us. Now that we're keeping up the lab and working on that seal, I am a little worried what you need it for."

The white robes of the Headmaster ruffled when he nodded, "I can understand some speculation is warranted. While I don't expect everyone to understand my ways, I can assure you they have merit. Like this one."

He pushed the folder towards Yukari. Her mom reached out to it first and opened the manila folder.

At one glance, she showed it to her husband. Both elder witches had a fearful look about them, the two of them obviously keen on what was being asked in accordance to the docket.

"Momma? Daddy?"

With a resigned sigh, both parents handed their burden over to the young teen witch. She wasn't as quick to pick out what the formula or ingredients were, seeing as she has never made the concoction before, however after she started to flip from one page to the next, her large gem violet eyes got wide.

"You can't do this!"

Mikogami's grin was as spooky as ever. "I'm not going to make it, your family is."

"Why should we? Desu! What you're asking for is…is…just too cruel!"

"Is it?" Mikogami stood up and circled his desk in slow, prowling steps. "Do you really believe that, Yukari-chan?"

Mother and Father Sendo were already reaching for their wands, waiting to see what malevolence the Academy's headmaster was going to spring up this time.

"Why would you even have something like this made or even researched? Why?"

"I'll have that answered when Kuyou comes back with our guest."

"Where is he going? Desu?" Yukari asked, but no sooner did the words leave her lips when she glanced at the folder in her hand, then back at the Headmaster. Pieces of the puzzle fell in place as she turned around to look at the door Kuyou just exited.

"No, he's not going to-"

"Yes, Yukari-chan," Mikogami lowered himself right in front of Yukari, leveling his eyes to hers. "Las Vegas."

* * *

Everything was white.

Kurumu imagined her death would have been a lot of things: Painful, noisy, messy, alone…

…but all she could see was white.

White was all about her and she felt…cold.

Cold like ice chips, like fluffy frost, soft powder enveloped her like a miasma of feathers…

Fingers and hands reached for her with faces that looked oddly familiar…

As her life began to flash in front of her eyes, as she reached terminal velocity and the unyielding ground was about to mash her and her mother to meat, she wondered why had all the sculpted cheeks and eyes she saw in this endless white surrounding her have lollipops sticking out of their mouths?

_Mizore!_

She wanted to scream at her, but that part of her face, being inverted and now plowing through an untold amount of cushiony, freezing, collapsing snow had redirected her path from straight down to a carefully diverted corkscrew like bobsled snow/mush/slush water ride back towards Devil's Little Angels.

Right behind her was her mother's own shriek, meeting the same sobering intervention of death by an untold hundreds of pounds of snow now turned sleet behind her. As she tumbled and slid down this purposeful ricochet slide, Kurumu had to face the inevitable fact of what she had failed to do when she reached the bottom, but what her mother and her auntie were going to do when they got a hold of her afterwards.

She wasn't sure what she feared worse now. Still, looking about as the fog still billowed around them, she wondered how was she going to explain her actions and if they understand what it felt like at that moment when she had been made painfully aware of Mizore's condition at the hands of her most beloved person?

Tumbling clumsily, she was able to snap off peeks during her graceless tumbles to see the whole strip was covered with a thick layer of fog. As much as a part of her wailed at the idea that she was going to keep feeling this dreaded pain, this unending ache in her heart, there were people out there who would do as much for her as she would for them.

Her friends and her family.

* * *

Coming to a stop covered head to toe with snow, Kurumu's blue-amethyst eyes took in the first person who had been waiting for her at the end of her little amusement park ice slide trip.

Mizore.

Her cheeks were flushed and an angry pinch of her brows narrowed in firm disapproval at her rival/best friend. Behind her was her mother in full Yukki-onna form still churning air into fog, from fog to snow, from snow it ice.

It scared Kurumu to see her friend so angry and her mother exposing her true nature to any potential would be humans that could cause an untold amount of trouble to everyone, but, as she sat there, feeling as achingly vulnerable as she had when Inner Moka gave her the thrashing of a lifetime and Tsukune had protected her, all she could do was hiccup and dejectedly stare down at the ground.

They couldn't understand what she felt. Not at…

She didn't move when the small, cold hand gripped her by her arm. She didn't flinch when she was sure she was going to be slapped for her stupidity, but she did gasp when Mizore, the woman who had succeeded in being the woman who had earned the affections of her Tsukune, held her in a trembling embrace.

"And no one believes me when I say big breasts make a woman deaf and dumb," She whispered into Kurumu's ear, her emotions restrained to their limits as she squeezed her friend tightly. "You always make the biggest spectacle without hearing anything but what you want to hear. Tsukune came to me to pay a debt that he promised me back in the Academy, remember? He didn't choose me to be with him. How can he? I'm married, you silly cow."

Eyes the size saucers took in that simple, misplaced bit of information and looked away in embarrassment.

"Kurumu!"

"Mumu-chan!"

Mizore's eyes blinked in time to realize she needed to move or-

Squash!

Mizore and Kurumu were soon face mashed between two weeping, crying succubi who shamelessly held onto them both as they spouted on and on in a wail that only a mother and aunt could who witnessed the near suicide of one their beloved little girl.

"How could you do that to me! Why would you do that? Don't you know that if you leave me I won't be long from this world! I lost your father and I'm not going to lose you! I know you're hurting and I want to help you anyway I can, but this is not the answer! I'm so mad at you-"

"Why would you do this? Dear God, Mumu-chan! I know you have your mother's brains, but this was one of the dumbest things-"

It was too much, just too, too much.

All three women took in how much misery etched their friend, their family, their big hearted Kurumu-chan and silently held her, weeping as women who knew love and felt a connection as only those who have lost.

"I know how you feel about Tsukune, Kurumu," Mizore touched Kurumu's tears with the pad of her thumb, "But is it so bad you can't simply come to us? We will help you! If you think it would hurt that you lost him as a Destined One, it would be that much worse for us if we lost you. Don't do that to us, please?"

Looking at all the faced mixed with so much emotion, most of it concern and hostile love for her to never try anything like that again, she meekly nodded her head.

"I'm sorry." Her hands came up to her eyes as she sniffled into her palms, "I love you all too!"

Three women surrounded Kurumu again, offering their silent support, taking the time to whisper murmured apologizes and suggestions.

Tsurara's voice called out to them, "As much as I'm happy to see your daughter survived, Aghea-_nono_, we are still in the middle of Las Vegas creating a spectacle. Could we possibly try not to earn the wrath of the Headmaster and find someplace else to discuss this?"

Each woman turned to the other, nodding in agreement.

"Lets go."

* * *

It took some backtracking for all five of the women to head back to Devil's Little Angels. Kurumu was protectively embraced by her auntie and mother, each one glancing back and forth whether or not to tell what they knew.

Breaking up the sniffles and murmer, Aghea asked something that caught everyone's attention.

"Why are you walking with a limp, you two? It looks as if you just came back from war?"

Mizore and Tsurara had only to look at the still recovering Kurumu to pointedly answer without answering. "We slipped and fell down a bunch of stairs."

Even Kurumu didn't believe that line. There wasn't a civil case worker or policeman around that hadn't heard that line several times over. Some of Shade's workers were victims of it and it was never tolerated. The message, while being as blunt as a sledgehammer, made its point.

It was a domestic dispute.

But with who? Her husband? Aghea and her life mate had about as much passion in their marriage as the ice dolls they cloned. It wasn't as if Tsurara would do something out of the ordinary or out of her vows of marriage…

…unless it was him.

In Aghea's mind, it was almost always the man who strayed first...

Thinking back to what her rival said back in the office when she saw the slap mark, she stumbled on her own feet when she dotted the lines.

…but why would the man slap the woman if he was in the wrong?

Tsurara was the guilty one! She even made a comment about taking Aghea up on her offer to go see her husband! She never acquiesced like that before…so that _had_ to be it.

Now, the question was with whom?

Catching the snow woman's eye with a knowing grin, Tsurara offered one of her own.

What could she possibly hold over her head compared to what Aghea knowing the old ice burg let her thighs thaw off enough to let another man venture where only one has dared before?

She honestly believed that once a snow maiden found a mate they were frozen up for business below the waist afterwards.

Aghea couldn't wait to hear her story…

…now, if only she could get away with telling her own.

Looking at how epically unhappy her daughter was and the extremes she was willing to go to end it, she knew it had to be soon. Kurumu deserved it, however, what good would it do if Kurumu would react the same way?

It really worried her. Her little girl really was all she had in this world outside of her nee-san. To hell with her lifestyle, Devil's Little Angel's, and any of the one nighters that came and went. With her Destined One in heaven, the idea of being with him again if her daughter followed suit was as beckoning as a fire to a moth.

Coming into view was their makeshift home.

Devil's Little Angels.

* * *

**Five minutes ago…**

"We're here."

Kuyou leaned comfortably behind Busdriver-san's seat, monitoring the moving traffic of humans scurrying about here and there like insects coming in and out of the succubi's den in their drunken or pheromone induced stupor. In the fog they looked more like free roaming prey than actual sentient life forms. It was all he could do to not transform right here and now to subjugate the surviving masses that he didn't out right slaughter. The idea hovered just outside of his most primal need, but his loyalty and duty to the headmaster came first.

A narrow first at that…

"There," Kuyou pointed across the way, into a dark alley keeping the entry way visible.

"Why don't we just go in there and collect her? If we have to crack a few skulls and bleed a few humans…" Keito, the purple haired spider woman enforcer whispered behind Kuyou, but he dismissed her with a look.

"She's not here yet." Kuyou looked about, tracking the still flowing snow and wafting fog. "But they will be."

"How do you know?"

He glanced to his left and right, even going as far to extend his hand out the window and rub his fingers together when he pulled it back in. "The fog is lifting and the snow is letting up. Whatever happened is at an end."

Leaning back in her seat with a fuming impatience, it was obvious each member of the Personal Guard were not only eager to get the job done and over with, but also go back to the safety of their home at Youkai.

They were easily outnumbered and who knew what weapons these humans had on them. Technology and sheer overwhelming numbers were the strength that kept the lesser beings superior to true monsters.

Applying the parking break, Busdriver-san sat statue still and kept his glowing eyes forward, neither smiling nor frowning. He simply watched…

…until an idea popped into his head.

"Did you know the best way to take your prey is when their guard is down?"

"What do you have in mind?" Keito asked, her curiousity peaked.

"When in the world of humans, lets do as humans do."

* * *

**Inside Devil's Little Angles**

When the quintet arrived back, they hurried to one of the upper VIP rooms to get away from the music and grabbing customers. High enough and padded the walls with curtains to dull the outside ruckus, the first thing Aghea and Shade did was just hold a repentant and miserable Kurumu.

Mizore watched the exchange with her mother right behind her. Despite all of their differences, there were some very simple similarities between mother and daughters…

…to protect their little girls.

They called for some drinks and to be left alone, but that still didn't help the fact that what they had caused was unavoidable.

On a TV mounted on the side of a wall showed children playing with snow, scooping it up and exchanging snow balls at each other. A news reporter went on about how unusual the weather was and what could have caused it. The unusual phenomenal was popping up on all the local channels. Some called it an act of divinity and others tried to dissect it as a scientific oddity.

One thing was for sure, it was not being accepted as normal.

Kurumu fidgeted with the glass in front of her, unable to look at the screen without mounting guilt plaguing her.

"I like the idea of divinity being an answer to their questions, don't you?"

Kuyou's voice tore their eyes from the television, meeting each woman's gaze with a sense of triumph from out of a corner they did not see him emerge from.

"To think, 'God' actually was a reason for this 'miracle'. Now, if only they could accept the real truth." Keito climbed up from the steps along with three other dark coated personal guards. "Do you think they'll ask the right people or will they simply start slaughtering everything they believe makes ice or fog?"

"How did you find this place?" Shade stood up, her mix matched blue violet eyes watching one new monstrous in human guise entity pop out from hidden nooks of her private booth.

"I followed your scent. This seems to be the spot you frequent more often than the others when you want to be alone." Kuyou made a point of wiping his nose distastefully. "I'll let you know that dissecting your rancid stench from all the other putrid carcasses is a testament to my kind."

Five on five, the odds seemed equal…

"You know why we are here," Kuyou stepped to the side while eying Kurumu hungrily. Gesturing cordially to the stairs leading down with the other four women also waiting with hopes of violence, he spoke regally with just a hint of hope, "Please, resist. In fact, I prefer it."

From the looks of their eyes, all of them did.

"I just have to call the bouncers and they'll-" Shade began, but that didn't deter them a bit.

"They'll what?" Kuyou huffed in amusement, "Stop us? Please," He dismissed the idea with a flick of his hand, "The only way to delay the inevitable would be for you to transform. That would just mean killing more of these…sheep."

Kuyou closed his eyes and inhaled dreamily. "Not that I would mind. It would be gloriously messy."

"You're not taking her anywhere," Aghea hissed, raising her hand and ready to extend her claws.

"And you're not going to stop us," Keito's eyes became large and her jaw split looking ready to shoot silk.

"Mistress, we've reached maximum capacity, but we're going to eventually start kicking people out or the fire marshal-"

One of Shade's bouncers, the one from the front checking in coats and weapons caught everyone's attention.

Like a flash, Tsurara appeared behind Kuyou with a ninjato to his throat.

No one moved, no one breathed.

The enforcers were about to attack when Tsurara whispered with chilling menace behind the twitch of her lollipop.

"Dare me…please, please dare me."

Kuyou actually chuckled, apparently enjoying the moment. "Do you think that will stop us from coming by again and again? Do you think that you can take us all on?"

"Right now,_ I_ want _you_, Kuyou-kun. Just you," She gave his cheek a little kiss, right under the razor sharp edge was slicing off a sliver of his skin. "I put up the fog and I created the snow. So it looks like you want me, too."

"We'll let the Headmaster decide," Kuyou grin widened as his focus leveled onto Mizore, "However, if you want to play rough, I'm game."

The four women at the stairs turn their eyes towards the innumerable humans downstairs along with the check in host watching their very predatory gaze take him in like a wolf takes in chopped beef.

"I'll go," Kurumu jumped from her seat, her hands up in surrender. "Quietly. Just don't hurt anyone."

Kuyou tilted his head, unafraid to let the weapon dig deeper into his skin. "I promise not to hurt anyone of 'them'."

'Them' being the humans.

With a nod Kurumu carefully walked around the table and found herself guarded by the three youkai security with Keito taking up the rear.

Kuyou's gloved hand extended out to his side. "After you, Tsurara-san."

Carefully, and with a wintry promise that she was not done with him, she dragged the edged weapon off of his throat to take a careful step back.

Dragging his fingers over the slight wound, he licked the blood with a flicker of glee.

"I owe you one, bitch."

Running a smooth, pale finger over the sticky residue, she flicked it onto the floor as if it disgusted her. "Whenever you want."

One woman after the next stepped carefully past the bouncer, ignorant of what almost happened and what potentially could be unleashed.

When Tsurara stepped past him, he seemed hesitant to ask her something.

"Yes?"

Licking his lips, he discreetly voiced what was bothering him, "I'm just curious…"

Tsurara waited for him to ask, even with the impatient glowers of the personal guard cautious of some kind of trick or revolt.

"…where did you hide that? I checked you all over! There wasn't a weapon anywhere we could see or imagine."

Tsurara's gave him a slow blink of her soul blue eyes as she descended the narrow steps.

"Who knows? A woman has many secrets."

This was the beginning of many unanswered questions to an equally unwelcomed growing reality...

...monsters were making their presence known.


	23. Ch 23 Heading Back

AN: I wrote this four hours after I posted chapter 22. Enjoy.

Your Mistress.

Take What Is Yours

Ch 23 Heading Back

**Three Hours Ago.**

"Really?" Mikogami walked next to the Snow Priestess, keeping in step with her steady gait. "That's disappointing to hear, but not unexpected."

Casually, as if the words she just spoke were just another testament to the many little stumbles needed to be corrected to keep the world of monsters protected from humans, she shrugged.

"I wasn't really sure she would do it, but the chances are likely now that Mizore is intent on visiting Kurumu. It could have gone many ways, but since that path is taken, the likely hood of an 'event' is high. Be prepared."

Mikogami stopped walking, his slight brow folding cautiously. "How prepared?"

Looking over her shoulder, the Snow Priestess gave a mirthless smile, more for the sake of aesthetics than to actually express emotion. "Very."

Shaking his head, he gave a small nod and shambled back towards his office.

"Mikogami-san."

Stopping in his tracks, it was his turn to listen to what she had to say. "Remember, Tsukune's child will be there as well as two of my people. He is now linked to me and everyone in the village. Weigh your actions carefully."

"What are you saying?"

"Get Kuyou to fetch," The Priestess folded her hands properly as she turned around a corner of the 'H' shaped academy, "But put a muzzle on him."

**Two Hours Forty Five Minutes Ago.**

Kuyou as well as the Guard Force entered the bus with malevolent anger roiling around their scowls.

Keito was especially vocal about it, "You're pulling our teeth!"

Hearing the spider woman snarl, Kuyou simply nodded in agreement. "I'm not, our Head Master is."

"So we're supposed to just waltz right in, just have a 'presence' and that's going to make them come along as if we're there to invite them to a wedding? Didn't we just kill off that fraud Tsukune in front of those succubi _sluts_! They're not going to let us near her!"

"Our teeth may be dulled, but they are far from blunted, Keito-san." Kuyou answered with soothing calmness.

"How can you say that? We can't do anything! We're not even going to have any human weapons! What are we going-"

"It's all in the delivery," Kuyou answered with mounting confidence. "There will be a baby as well as scores of humans. Those women have a loyalty to them and threatening them will be enough. Of course, should we have to use some violence, we can always turn to 'them' as fodder. Our orders were simply not to hurt our marks."

Keito scoffed, angrily folding her arms over her chest. "Anyone would simply run and leave those _humans_ as obstacles to delay us."

Closing his eyes, Kuyou allowed himself to meditate on it. "No, not everyone."

He thought back to the time when Tsukune had his stupid little monsterlings follow him to near hell protecting him, throwing their frail husks of flesh in front of the other to protect him. How that 'thing' was able to convince a pure breed vampire to take up a stand against him was baffling still. Succubi and yukki-onna were notorious human lovers and more emotionally attached then intellectually. Most of their species lacked common sense, let alone a sense of loyalty to the monster race.

Those loyalties to humans were the 'teeth' they needed to put the fear into getting their job done.

"Not everyone." He murmured again as the tunnel that took them to Las Vegas, Nevada appeared before them.

A kaleidoscope of color swallowed them...

* * *

**Present Time.**

"You won't need those," Kuyou stated, but it smoothly answered in kind.

Tsurara pushed her hook knives into a thin, concealable sheath inside her long sleeves. "You can keep me from my weapons," she took both of her pistols from the box in front of her, taking her time to check that the chambers were still loaded, "when I'm warm and dead."

The mental image of setting the obstinate snow woman into a smoking cinder made him tremble with want, but that his duty and the requirements that he needed to fulfill did not require him to have his 'captives' come unarmed.

Keito was seriously twitching at such a belligerent display of petulance.

Kuyou shrugged, unfazed.

It took almost ten minutes to collect all the necessary gear Tsurara had brought with her, and it took another five for Ageha and Shade to stuff a purse bulging with a few choice items as well.

Keito peeked at what they were stocking themselves with and snorted when she realized what was inside of them.

"Perfume? Aren't you even going to try and protect her?"

"You have your strengths, we have ours," Aghea flicked her hair at the dark eyed enforcer.

"Lets go," Kuyou walked in front of everyone, heading back towards the bus. "Your 'destiny' awaits."

* * *

Sitting in the back row with Aghea and Shade in front and to her side, Mizore and and Tsurara shared a seat in front of them, creating a barrier to keep Kuyou and his minions at bay.

Every so often, Keito would toss nasty glances their way, which was met with equally hostile rebuttal facial scowls.

Tsurara and Mizore seemed to be quite calm though, ever the more emotionally muted snow women.

"I have to ask," Ageha leaned forward, her tone inquisitively curious. "Where did you hide that ninjato?"

"Hmm," Tsurara gestured low in her yukata. "Where indeed?"

She put her fingers to her lips in a 'shh, it's a secret' motion.

"You really do surprise me sometimes." Aghea chuckled. "Although I shouldn't. You always were one to appear smarter than you let on."

Holding her fingers over her lips to stifle a her own melodic chortle, Tsurara answered, "You know, Aghea-_nono_, I always thought of you as just some cheap, vile, disgusting whore."

This was obviously one of their many exchanges that had been practiced through their tenure at Youkai, but things had seemed to lighten a bit considering the protective unity of one of their own.

"But...?" Ageha waited for Tsurara to finish what she was going to say.

One compliment usually deserved another.

Tsurara shifted in her seat to take in her old rivals expectant stare. "No buts. Just letting you know how I've always felt.."

"Tch," Ageha scoffed, "Look who's talking? We still didn't get a chance to hear how you got that mark on your cheek. Mind explaining it now, Tsurar-sicle?"

Blinking her large blue pupil less eyes at Ageha's smug smirk, she turned to a nervous Kurumu. "Kurumu-chan, do you know why I call your mother, Ageha-nono?"

Kurumu blinked uncomfortably. She had been feeling absolutely vile allowing her family and friends to keep her company to what she was sure going to be her potential doom.

All she knew was that she wasn't going to let that happen to them, even if it meant her own life. It was her fault and no one else was going to get hurt over it. Although, causing the snow storm and making fog were going to have consequences...

...bad ones, she was sure of it.

Turning to look at the unworried smile of her mother's tenuous rival, she shook her head.

"Because all of the things she did with boys in school were considered a big 'Nono'."

Shade snickered a little, but it was founded more from pride than embarrassment.

"Kurumu-chan," Ageha leaned over and pinched at Tsurara's collar. "This isn't really a yukata, it's just Tsurara's ugly underwear. She wouldn't know how to attract a man if it slapped her in the face. If it hasn't already."

Aghea waited for the obligatory comeback...

...it never came.

Instead, Tsurara's hand touched her cheek and turned her gaze outside the window silently.

While the blue haired elder succubus was never one to pull punches, she felt like she had just kicked a puppy. In a bout of sympathy, she leaned forward to speak quietly to Tsurara.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or not?"

Flinching as if she woke up from a daydream, Tsurara tilted her head demurely towards Ageha, "I'm sorry, it's hard to understand what you're saying when you don't have your diseased infested mouth full. Want one?"

Tsurara pushed a lollipop between Ageha's eyes, nearly getting it up her nose.

"Ow!" Ageha huffed, rubbing her face. "What the hell? You almost got me in the eye!"

"Oh, stop complaining," Tsurara burbled a small laugh under her breath. "It's not like that occupational hazard has never happened before."

The two monsters exchanged more barbs all the way back to Youkai.

In the back, Kurumu was fidgeting with her thumbs, hoping the light hearted complaints were their own way of easing the tension between them. Looking at the four women and dangerous kitsune enforcer, she couldn't help but wonder if this were their last moments together.

She really hoped they weren't.

Mizore pushed herself on a seat next to Kurumu, eyeing the busty twenty three year old as if searching for answers in her eyes. "He really needs you, Kurumu."

There was only one 'he' Kurumu wanted to hear about and having the 'ice stalker queen' bring him up made her worries lift...

...just a little.

"If that was true, then why did he go to you instead of me!" She whined, slapping her hands on her bare thighs angrily. "I would have helped him with anything!"

"He knows that," Mizore's enigmatic gaze softened, "But, I'm glad he didn't come to you like he came for me. You don't deserve that."

Those worries she had felt alleviated came back five fold.

"Now you're saying I don't deserve him? Make up your mind! How could you-"

Mizore turned her back towards Kurumu and pulled off her long blouse at her shoulder, "He gave these to me."

On her glowing pale skin were marks...

...ugly, dark marks that dotted her like some kind of abused creature just recovering from a nasty beating.

Claw marks, teeth marks, finger imprints, and bruising that was turning purple to yellow spotted her, looking as if the romantic union to create a child was done so more from a punishing beast than a loving friend.

Kurumu, Ageha, and Shade gasped.

Those wounds were fresh...only a few days old.

It couldn't be...

The succubi sisters had to know...

"When did you get these?" Ageha's finger trailed Mizore's back, tracing one long scab after another.

"Two days ago." Tsurara cleared up softly, than touched her cheek. "I got this one day ago."

The time frame was impossible, but Kurumu asked something off from their line of thoughts. "One day ago? Why? Did someone get mad at you for not taking care of Mizore?"

"No," Tsurara reached at her hip to untie her obi.

Keito, Kuyou, and the other three enforcers were pulling at their youkai, ready for Tsurara to reach for a weapon should she go for one.

Instead, she simply shrugged off her yukata and stood, showing her own back and marks at the mid sternum of her chests.

All three succubi said nothing, especially the elder two. They were masters as love marks and the one thing they took note of that not too many would have been keen to were the comparative size, shapes, and consistency of one mark on a body compared to the next.

Whoever had put those marks on Mizore had put the same marks on Tsurara.

If Mizore was claiming to have been with Tsukune, then that could only mean...

"No...fucking...way..." Shade gawked, being the first to announce what was already impossible.

Tsukune was dead.

This had to be some kind of trick. If Tsukune happened to be the same person to just miraculously come back to life and give Mizore a baby, then that needed to be confirmed somehow. Magic, time travel, etc...but to throw around his 'oats' at Tsurara...

"Uh-huh, nope, like hell he did!" Ageha was on her feet now, pointing an accusing finger at Tsurara. "You just said you got those marks two days ago and that slap on your face one day ago! Are you telling me Tsukune slapped you? He couldn't have!"

"I never said he slapped me," Tsurara sniffed daintily. "My husband did."

Ageha was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because he saw these and knew I had been...unfaithful."

The word came out simply, if not with a bit of self depreciation.

"But...that would mean," Kurumu's lips pressed hard against the oncoming emotion about to burst through, "He was with...both of...you? So, if I see Tsukune, I could possibly be the," Kurumu looked up into her memory to tick off names with her fingers, "Moka, Ria, You and You," she glanced at Mizore and her mom, "I could be the fifth woman he's been with? Possibly if he accepts me?"

Mizore and Tsurara exchanged a look, but simply nodded. Mizore, ever the blunt voice of truth, decided now was as good as any to bring Kurumu up to date.

"As well as twelve others. I was the first of a group of snow maidens about to receive the seed from a donor, Gin to be precise."

"Twelve?" Kurumu shrieked, "You mean, he's been with seventeen women and I'm...I'm not even good enough for-"

"Wait, Gin?" Shade nearly choked out. "He was there at the Snow Village?"

Tsurara nodded, "Yes. For some reason, he's extremely upset at him."

Ageha mumbled something very unladylike under her breath that was not missed by either yukki-onna.

"Do you know why?" Mizore asked, taking Kurumu's hand when the girl looked like she was about ready to be sick.

Ageha and Shade were about to spill the beans, if only to disprove that Tsurara and her daughter had to be lying, however...

Keito and Kuyou and the three others were watching them, their lips pulling back ready to voice accusations against the Head Master's law to not announce Tsukune's death.

Doing it now would not help things and the two elder succubi sisters knew it.

"Later," Was all Shade said, "We can't say anything right now. Maybe in the future and with better company."

Kurumu ignored their words being exchanged and focused only on the fact that her Destined One would have rather fathered children with strangers than with her. Mizore, however, was not going to let her friend think that.

"He was not himself that night, Kurumu."

The busty blunette didn't seem to hear her.

"I had taken him to the snow flowers back in our village and tried to have him give me a baby back then. Do you remember?"

"How could I forget," Kurumu huffed, too emotionally drained to really care at this point.

"He was going to be gentle with me, care for me, be a considerate lover," The cool, pale cheeks of Mizore dusted to a cute rosy color thinking back to that day when her nervous friend and her were going to become one. "The Tsukune of our memory did not come to me or make love to me."

This got Kurumu's attention. Looking up through puffy red eyes, she saw how sincerely unhappy she was.

If Mizore had been with Tsukune, this was not the look of a woman who had just had her dreams met. If anything, it looked more like a woman who had seen an ugly reality and survived it.

Her hand traced the small of her stomach. "A monster did."

"We're here," Kuyou called out.

Looking up from their chat, the spectrum of color faded to reveal a gravel road leading up to a decrepit structure in the distance that Mizore and Kurumu hadn't seen since their senior year.

For Ageha and Shade, it had been about a month...

Youkai Academy.


	24. Ch 24 Arrival

**AN: Dear readers, I am your Mistress.**

**I want to apologize for this very long absence. I have been working with a local theater that had wanted me to write a script that paralleled the origins of this story 'Get What You Wanted'. Since I had no previous experience in writing one, I had to learn from the ground up. I had a lot of fun working with the directors, playwrights, and actors who were interested in the story over all, however there was a lot of transitions that needed to take place and not as much time as I had hoped to be invested in something that would have been done more for bragging rights than actual income. Sad to say, it fell through and I was unsuccessful. In turn, I do not feel as if I failed but, in fact, that I have broke past a barrier I would never have conceived before by writing in fanfiction. It is because of my efforts writing here and by receiving the assistance of my friends, Lord Of The Land Of Fire, Artful Lounger, GrrDraxin, and a few others that I was able to breach this new part of my life.**

**Reviewers, you are not forgotten.**

**While I have always said I write for myself, I am not going to back down now from that standpoint, however I am going to say you all are also a very big part of what this story represents. There isn't a moment I don't write my story and consider what I have penned down in my outline and think, "How do I need to write this in order to get the reaction I want?"**

**Do I take each and everyone of your, dear readers, emotions into consideration? No, not really. I think of this story as how "I" would react to certain events because I love these characters just as equally as you do.**

**So what purpose do I use your responses, dear reviewers?**

**Simple, it is to gauge how right or wrong I am.**

**There is always going to be this medium in which I read to see if I hit the right emotional response or if I missed it by a mile. Even some of the flames I get, the constructive ones, are note worthy because they show I have, indeed, upset them.**

**Some readers can't accept that and decide to blame me for it. So be it. I can only promise I'm going to write a story that will make people 'feel' something. Anger, angst, disgust, lust, and even, dare I say it, hope and love are feelings.**

**Interestingly enough, some people can't handle it. Yes, it's easy to say, "Stop reading this, find something else", but, at the same time, I only hope people can see my story has succeeded and they, as readers, have explored something within themselves they are not used to in some of the more bland, repetitive stories out there.**

**They felt something.**

**So, dear readers and reviewers, I am also saying this:**

**Thank you for investing your time with my story. It is appreciated.  
**

**While this is a bit late in the asking, I will ask it anyways.**

**"Come with me on a story that will make you feel. Life is a roller coaster. Hold on tight."**

**Your Mistress.**

* * *

**Take What Is Yours**

**Ch 24 Arrival  
**

"AAAAAaaaaaaaarrrrrgggh!"

"Ruby-chan!"

Tsukune held Ruby's twitching form as the spluttering of sparks and static that filled his room came to an end. Loud scraping raked his ears with their metallic slithering of the chain connecting his wrist to a collar around her neck. Silence returned with only Ruby's rapid breathing to fill Tsukune's ears while he held her against his chest.

The master and servant duo were in a familiar trial they had practiced back in their Academy tenure. The results were similar, and, just like then, Tsukune saw he really was more worried about Ruby's health than she was.

Spasming rapturously and with eyes rolled into the back of thier sockets, the masochist witch drooled with a half cocked smile that would have made Yukari's own perverted grin look shy in comparison.

Tightening his arms around her waist, he could only shake his head as he watched her twitch again and again. When her spasms lessened, he sighed when he was no longer looking at the whites but the pupils of her violet eyes.

"That was a nasty one," He chided but ultimately content she was getting better.

Ruby, on the other hand, was not deterred.

"It sure was," She grinned thankfully.

"You're going to get hurt." He scolded.

"Do you think so, Master?" She voiced hopefully.

This was not the direction he wanted their affections to be enjoyed.

"Ruby-chan," Tsukune pushed a sweat drenched lock of dark hair from her face, scolding her with his tone.

His servant seemed utterly and blissfully unapologetic.

"We can do it again," She blushed. Chewing her lip, she rolled the chain around her finger invitingly.

Stopping her from twirling the thick metal links, he leaned close. "I want to, Ruby-chan, you know that, however I don't think it'd be safe for us to without this."

"I know, Master. Thank you, but I really would hope you wouldn't."

From the time he started recovering, receiving Ruby's tender ministrations were a relaxing delight that was different than the vigorous exertions normally associated with getting stronger during their first time using the Leeching Chain. While his therapy began after his lethargic trial at the Snow People's Village, Ruby made a point of being astutely mindful of his needs, perceiving and expecting his unvoiced complaints before he was about to. In his mind, he thought how easy it would be to simply live the life offered to him now with her, just letting this mature and wonderful woman become a part of his life forever and ever.

Her lips raised to his, her eyes closed, their breaths were shared with the starting of a delicate kiss...

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" Lightening flared as Ruby lit up like a taser and her scream echoed in his own throat.

**TTTTAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEE…HHHHEEEEERRRRRRRR!**

Gripping the side of his head, Tsukune focused...

**WWWWWAAAAANNNNNNTTTT….HHHHHHEEEEEEERRRRRRR! SSSSSHHHHHEEEEE…WWWWWAAAANNNNTTTSSS…IIIIIIITTTTTT!**

Focused...focused...

**DDDDDDDOOOOOOO…NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT…TTTTTTTHHHHIIIIIISSSS…**

Focused…focused…focused…

Silence…

When the voices within finally became just a slight buzz in his ears, another sound worried his attention.

"Heh...he...heh...heh..." Ruby giggled and coughed, her eyes rolled up into her sockets again.

Exhaling in frustration, Tsukune just held her close. The spasmodic jerks of Ruby's convulsion were really scaring him and she wasn't helping by actually enjoying it. Even the blood inside him was screaming how natural it would be for them to release on Ruby's masochistic want would make them feel a mutual pleasure that would bring them both to a rapturous tsunami.

A part of him could feel his blood's need to absolutely dominate her and give in to that want.

_Ria would approve of this,_ he thought darkly to himself.

Still, there was his will, his desire to protect her despite her extreme willingness paralleled with the growling lust in his head.

As much as he hated to say it, the promise he had made to her before he left to Mizore seemed to be getting further and further away from making those heartfelt words a reality.

Why was he being so careful? Why was he denying himself now what he had been all too eager to give to the Snow Maidens, his friend and her mother?

During their one of their first touches, she was helping him with physical therapy, holding him, helping him take his first weighted steps, when he fell against her. While the fall was accidental, the way he looked at her, and she him, their intimate kiss was all but inevitable.

That's when he heard it, the voice inside him.

With its deep promise of wanton release upon his friend, Tsukune decided, as seductive as the idea was to relive that moment with Ruby as he had with Mizore, it wouldn't do to hurt her for something as selfish as pleasure. He didn't want to see anyone of his friends look at him as Mizore had.

So he pushed her away and reeled in his wants.

It wasn't easy. Oh, was it ever, ever so hard when the dark haired witched beckoned with her lusty smile and shimmering dark locks rippling with her movements. He wanted it as well, as any man would. Tsukune tried over and over again, to just do something simple as touch her, kiss her, hold her and, eventually, slip one piece of clothing off her as he lead her to bed. Sadly, it was a promise that was falling short.

He wouldn't allow himself to fall into the alluring hold of the blood within him, much to Ruby's distress.

He needed to take care of it, he knew this, but what choice did he have?

Fingers slid up the back of his neck and into his hair, massaging him. "I'm very strong, Master. Do not worry for me. I am here for you."

"But...what if I hurt you?"

She grinned toothily and he had to shake his head.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Hurt. You." He pointed out, touching her nose with his finger, earning her pout.

He knew she was not taking him especially serious when she bit his accusing digit.

"We don't have to use the Leeching Chain, Master," Ruby lifted the clunky metal links, taking a moment to chuckle when he flexed the nibbled finger nail. "I'm sure we'd get better results with out it."

Tsukune reflected, again, what happened when he had got a hold of Mizore, those maidens...her mother! Those moments plagued him now that the euphoria had come and gone. There was such an uncontrolled release of his emotion that evening. He would have never explored this basic desire with so much vindictive sexual revenge on someone who didn't deserve it unless he just gave into the voices within. When he equated what happened with Moka to the act of sex and had time to think back at how much of him self that needed to be reigned in, he felt it was his responsibility to prevent it from happening again.

Especially to her, who had cared for him and lovingly nurtured his wounded soul when he needed someone…anyone to help him.

Since his stance about not touching Ruby with the hunger the voice offered would not be deflected, she had suggested their old training prop. With it, he felt more secure with being close to her, letting himself lose those erotic emotions that would come with want and sex, however as soon as he started feel his urges grow even beyond the enticing act, the voices came back and was smartly pushed back by the youkai released into his partner. They had succeeded back then, and he hoped the idea of putting his friend in danger would force his mind to fix itself post haste so they could do what they both wanted to.

While it had worked to keep the demonic lust at bay, it also gave the predetermined jolting shock to Ruby that left her near comatose.

He knew the raven haired witch was tough and she would enjoy the few jolts, this was becoming borderline ridiculous.

Then there was another issue that had come to mind.

Tsukune wondered about this new change affecting his appearance. He had felt very little pain during his bodily growth after pursuing Mizore, however it was made apparent when she and Tsurara hadn't recognized him.

That worried him.

When he brought it up to Mikogami's attention, he only smiled at him and said, "We did offer to help you train earlier, Mr. Aono. Perhaps another time when we are not so busy. Feel free to use our facilities as you wish, but do allow the family Sendo to continue their work."

Grumbling, he had walked out of the office, but not without seeing some of Mikogami's personal guard missing.

Where was Kuyou?

Either way, Ruby was now giving him a come hither look that was getting harder and harder to deny. While Tsukune may have had more experience with women, Ruby certainly didn't fall short of being creatively enticing. It was the way she held her own sense of grace, her proper hands held in front of her, the intelligent warm smile of a woman that was all too eager to give him anything should he ask it.

For an uninvited moment, it reminded him of Outer Moka…

…and with a shake of his head, it was gone.

He had only to approach her for her head to lower in supplication. She took her role as servant very, VERY seriously. He was sure if he asked it, she would slit her own throat without delay.

That scared him, however, that part of him that was just a man who needed someone to guide him, was glad she was overly eager to assist him instead of being overly dismissive. She deserved the promise he offered her and his promise was forever echoing in his mind.

Like now.

"I think that would be a bad idea," He murmured, but it wasn't a single breath after he said that when he felt Ruby's fingers start to sneak their way under his shirt, making the blush on his cheeks darken.

"But how are you going to know if you don't practice?"

His judgment was being swayed when the ends of his servant's hair started to raise.

**ZAAAAAAAP!**

"Ruby, we can't because-"

A part of her long skirt raised to expose a long length of leg with her stocking exposed at her hip.

**ZAAAAAAP!**

Her lips latched onto his neck.

**ZAAAAAAP!**

Her nails grazed his nipples.

**ZAAAAAAP!**

"Ruby, stop!"

"Yes!" She screamed, quivering in bliss as she latched her legs around him.

**ZAAAAAAP!**

"That's it!" He reached for the strap on his wrist and pulled. Without even trying to dislodge himself from Ruby's grip, she fell off his lap like goo.

All of his instincts told him to take her to the infirmary to have her checked out, but it would be a wasted trip. The ear to ear smile on her lips, the way her skin flushed, and even the way she clenched the edged of her long skirt in a death hold eased his worry of her physical health.

Her mental one was still questionable.

In spite of his concern for her, there she was, trembling in euphoric convulsions, moaning and mewling in an amorous orchestra of pleasure that made him wonder if succubi and vampires were supposed to be creatures that held the highest regards to sensuality, witches' sexual appeal wasn't given their credit due.

It only made him worry about Yukari's future.

The hardening in his pants wasn't just due to his thickening erection, but he could feel his tattoos writhing along his chest down to his hips, his muscles start to become dense under his skin...

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

Looking behind him, Mikogami's toothy grin and creepy glowing eyes greeted him. Whatever arousal he felt was now heightened by a sense of caution. Tsukune had to wonder how he must have appeared to the Headmaster if the Dark Lord took a cautious appraise to the once human looking at him.

Getting up on shaky legs, Ruby fell against Tsukune panting and flushed, as if she just survived by the skin of her teeth.

Tsukune wondered how off he was his appraisal by the dilation of her pupils.

"You are," Tsukune returned, his voice deeper and angry.

Mikogami wasn't perturbed in the least.

"How did you get in my room?" Tsukune muttered angrily, pulling Ruby to his side to look at the still closed door.

Mikogami followed Tsukune's gaze, as if curious what should have been there to prevent 'him' from entering Tsukune's room anytime he wants.

"This is my dimension, Aono-san. Do you think there isn't a crevice or nook here that I don't have access to? You may as well ask your skin why is there blood in your veins."

Tsukune didn't like the sound of that. Judging Ruby's somber nod, he knew Mikogami's apt definition of his presence was undisputable.

"So…you can see and go anywhere you want at anytime?"

The Chairmen simply smiled, letting the reality settle inside his ward. "There are times when I am amazed at your ability to do the impossible, Mr. Aono, and then there are times I have to remember you are more heart than mind. I am glad you have such perceptive friends to help you."

Knowing that he was being called stupid, he decided to cut to the chase. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I have come to personally let you know a friend of yours is on her way. In fact," Mikogami looked up at the ceiling of the room as if to see beyond the physical mortar, wood, and concrete barriers into the very magical youkai surrounding his dimension, "Busdriver-san has just arrived with her now."

Tsukune and Ruby mutually blinked at the news.

"A 'friend'? Who?" Tsukune asked with trepidation and mild excitement. "Mizore-chan? Has she come back to see me?"

Ruby, ever the more aware took a moment's breath to ponder on something more unnerving. "Why did you come to tell us yourself? Where is Kuyou or Keito? Normally you would have sent a member of your personal security force or a servant?"

Mikogami's form dissolved into the air with only his bright, bright eyes and Cheshire cat grin floating like pieces of a willow the wisp. "Where indeed, Ruby-san?"

A stab of fear hitched both of their breathes as the reality of only one friend they had who would be sought by Mikogami's personal guard:

"Kurumu!"

Xxx

It was just a little under ten years when Kurumu first set foot at this very bus stop to start her journey as a student. That first day was all but a sugar coated bore. Anything with testicles or an attraction to the female body didn't miss a move the busty succubus made. It was just too easy and Kurumu's first thought was how listless she was going to be.

Where was the challenge? It was as second nature for men to fall over themselves to her as she was used to flying.

Once she saw the men who were bewitched by her, the harem she had gained by just existing, started to swoon over the fuchsia pink locks and svelte form of Akashiya Moka, it was a whole different playing field. Fighting fair and diplomatically wasn't in her deck of cards. No, in this battle of seeking Destined One's, thrusting the knife in the back tactics worked the best. Utilizing her species genetically engineered prowess to wreck Moka, she aimed at her most vulnerable spot:

Her boyfriend, Aono Tsukune.

While it was never made clear that Tsukune was her boyfriend at that time, the fact she held an obvious affection for him was enough to gear Kurumu's charm in his direction to get the much needed cheap shot to bring Moka's 'number one beauty' status down to a more humbling level…

…crying, dejected loser would be sufficient in Kurumu's eyes.

Her mother and auntie would be so proud!

But then he turned her…broke her, tweaked her in frustration of what she was taught! She was rewarded with a new sight of what love really was and it was beautiful and…sadly, also humbling in a way she had pushed Moka to feel.

What she had wanted to destroy for the sake of popularity was not a soul seeded need to be in his presence and be recognized by him as he had been recognized by her.

That was then…almost ten years since her freshman year at Youkai and here she was, standing in front of that same jack-o-lantern scarecrow grinning back at her with nothing to show but memories of trials won and proof that she had lost in Moka's wake.

She felt like she was back full circle. This is where her life really started and now…

"After you," Kuyou gestured towards the door, his vulpine grin anticipating dark things to come. "Please, resist. It will be more fun."

…this is very well where her life would end.

Stifling a whine, her mother, her auntie, her friend and her friend's mother were there, eyes flashing and ready to defend her and shed blood for her should the need arise.

Kurumu glanced at the petite veiled stomach of her Yukki-Onna friend Mizore to jealously want what she had, however these circumstances required a different type of need and Kurumu would exercise her own type of honor that most would shy from.

"I'm coming, just don't hurt anyone."

Kuyou's grin tilted into a smirk. "I am here for you, as per Mikogami's orders. Once you're off the bus, your family can go back without any problems. If they stay, I can't promise their safety."

"We're coming," Aghea stepped forward, followed by Shade, Tsurara and the smaller built Mizore.

The four other insect Personal Security guards fell behind, walking parallel to the outside of the four women.

"So be it," Kuyou shrugged, but raised a white gloved fist that sparked into a ball of dark blue flame. "But please feel free to run. I haven't had a decent hunt in a long time."

Malicious grins spread over Keito and the other female enforcers.

The succubi and Yukki Onna quartet reflected the same resolve with dark glowers.

She hoped her family wouldn't do anything stupid.

Looking past everyone towards the Academy in the distance, she had only two wishes she would make known before whatever would come to pass. One, was that she hoped everyone knew she loved them and they would be safe from her irresponsible actions. Two…

…two…

…she wished she could tell Tsukune how much she missed him and would have liked to have seen him again.

Xxx

**From the entry way of Youkai Academy…**

"Is that…them?" Tsukune squinted his eyes to try and look down the several mile long unpaved path towards the dimensional entrance off in the distance. All the could see was the dim flicker of head lights from the bus turning around to go back towards the tunnel.

Ruby closed her eyes and reached out with her senses through the weave to seek out the familiar auras of their friends.

"They're too far away to be sure, but I can confirm one of them."

"Who?"

"Kuyou."

That was all Tsukune needed to hear before him and Ruby shared a mutual nod.

Taking to flight with her black tri paired wings, Tsukune did the one thing he hoped he could trust to get himself from here to there without hindrance:

_I may need your help._

**FFFFFFRRRREEEEE…MMMMMMEEEEE…IIIIIII…HHHHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP…**

_We'll see._


	25. Ch 25 They Killed Him

**AN: Hello, dear reader. As anyone can tell, I am a sucker for songs that evoke specific emotions. One of songs that will be used in this chapter is called _'One Last Cry'_, written by Brian McKnight. In a different twist, I have found it was sung by a powerful and very beautiful woman named _Marina Elali_, a Latin vocalist. Please, if you will, refer to this song when you hear it in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this song but it is a blast to listen to.**

xxx

Take What Is Yours

Ch 25 They Killed Him

Kurumu didn't think she could feel so foolish or utterly devoid of hope than how she felt right now.

In the distance, the bus drove off, creating small puffs of dirt of hover in the air as its departure. Her friends and family were glaring at Kuyou and his menacing henchwomen, each in turn waiting to see what is to become of the next moments that would lead to her very possible and inevitable demise.

Dear Kami, she was stupid.

She not only put her life, but that of her mommy, her auntie, that too good of a mother Tsurara and that stupid stalking, ice queen Mizore...

…but, she didn't know how to feel about that.

A deep, soul felt hole was filling to the brim, replacing the void that she had created for Tsukune that she held in hopes to give to him, just him…

…just him…

Now, swallowing hard, showing her hands to comply to Kuyou's silent, but very deadly, demand, she took her first steps to face the justice of Youkai.

Xxx

Tsukune broke into a rushed sprint, pushing himself to get to his friends as fast as his human body could get him.

Feeling the rosario at his wrist weigh heavily and awkwardly, he decided against hurrying over in his vampire form. While it might grant some trepidation to Kuyou and his team of enforcers, it would not do for him to still be so far away and with him being able to do nothing to protect them at this distance. Kuyou had a nose for power and with the amount a vampire released, it wouldn't surprise him for Kuyou to take advantage of his leverage to use it against Tsukune…

Damn Mikogami! Tsukune thought.

He knew everywhere he looked, he visited, he was aware at every place that could or could not be seen through whatever means was at the Headmaster's disposal.

Another thought came to mind, what Moka had said earlier before the trial, _"You shouldn't have come here, Tsukune."_

While he had agreed for the immediate reasons before, now it was becoming more and more apparent that she was right…

…which scared him…

…what else was she right about?

Shaking his head, Tsukune tried to tell himself this wasn't the right time to think about Moka…

…yet, when was a good time?

There was still so much unfinished business, so many promises he needed to keep, so many people he needed to tell that he was alive, that he missed them, loved them…

A picture of his mom sprouted behind his eyes and he almost lost his step when he realized how much he had sacrificed not only for her, but for his dad and his cousin. Then there was his other family, Moka's aristocratic father Issa and her sisters…

Kokoa…while he was sure she would be blaringly thankful to hear of his demise, he had found a weak bond with her that came from doing the one thing Kokoa was the most unsuccessful at and Tsukune had all but beaten her senseless: he was able to receive Moka's love. As much as the fiery red head hated him, she and him had created a small bond in knowing that he had loved her sister as much as she did. While not a complete success, it was something.

For that, she had decided to not kill him because, as much as it simmered her most jealous emotions, it would also hurt the austere onee-sama Kokoa adored should she do anything to Moka's beloved mate.

Kahlua…the tan, lithe blonde goddess who held the grace and poise of a dancer. With a child's playfulness, she always had a smile and tender word for him when he was sure she wasn't going to rip his arms off if he said something to upset her. While obviously older and stronger, she had taken to him like a little girl would to an older brother. Over all, she loved him simply because Moka loved him. He found the thought of telling her he was okay heart lifting. She wouldn't cry if she saw him again, would she?

He hoped not…

Ria…

Tsukune almost growled when the dark haired, dark eyed, dark souled vampiress sister came to mind. That woman could turn everything and anything he wanted into a debacle while wearing the most seductive of smiles. The things she did to him, to Moka, to them as a pair just to keep them apart…god, how he hated her and, yet…

Looking at how much he had endured recently…

…did the black hearted woman, who even Moka feared, know something like this was in his future?

Was she trying to protect her family with the no nonsense way she did things?

Oh, she loved to throw her beauty, her power, even her domineering authority over him like a lion would play with it food, but did she really do all this just for the sake of pride?

Or did she really care?

He really, REALLY, had to get his mind away from her…

...but he found himself thinking back to the woman who soothed his every bond back then…who was his balm, his nectar of joy, and his peace he didn't know existed in this world of false hopes and daydream realities…

Did he still miss Moka?

What was she doing now?

From his peripheral vision, six black ravens wings circled away followed by a long streamer of glossy black hair and a worn, dark long skirt. Ruby waved at him as she glided around Kuyou's group to try and circumvent their path to blind side him should the need arise.

No! This was not the time to think of Moka! Kurumu needed him! Moka had her time, broke her promises and broke his heart!

Kurumu was always there, begging, pleading for him to just give her the barest scrap of attention and he didn't…couldn't…because he only had eyes for her…

…only her…

Now, even after all that had happened at the Snow Village, with Mizore potentially carrying his child, with Tsurara and who knew how many other Yukki-Onna now held soiled names because of his aggressive actions, he was bringing himself back to her?

To Moka?

Sighing as he found himself behind a tree within sight of Kuyou and everyone, he had to wonder what his own human logic and his own perceptions have gotten him into by falling in love with her and neglecting those who loved him.

There…

Just within ear shot but up wind so as not to garner Kuyou's attention, Tsukune could see her and…

Mizore-chan? Tsurara, Ageha, and Shade? What were they doing there? And why were the rest of the enforcers surrounding them like some kind of guard to a lynching?

Memories of when Tsukune was put up on a large steak to be burned in front of the other monsters, the way he was lured into a mock trial and ripped apart speared his thoughts. Yes, the court was a sham and he wasn't so much ripped but exploded upon by his own blood and soul fighting each other, but how did any of this involve Kurumu?

A low growl rumbled in his chest. The voice was whispering to him, enticingly, seductively…

He would protect her…he NEEDED to protect Kurumu…but, he asked himself, what had she done to be brought here and with the two people who knew of his death?

Why would they do that? Don't they know that this was a death trap?

Just when the whispers started to get louder, he thought he could hear Kurumu saying something…

…it was almost like she was singing…

Leaning as close as he could, he tried to listen when he knew, without a doubt, that not only was she singing, but she was singing to him…

…about her.

xxx

A little memory found its way to her forethoughts, distracting her as she took one step after the other. It was after she had heard that Tsukune and Moka were going to get back together, she decided to she needed to do something different, to give let a part of herself be free and announce to the world that she was hurting.

She sang a song.

While that wasn't unusual at Devil's Little Angel's, it was the kind of song meant for a slow dancing, heart felt regrets, and disappointment through words. Yes, it was a song to just let those who would empathize with her and, for a selfish moment, let her grieve so she could, if it was possible, move on.

Could she move on? No, she couldn't, but, nevertheless, it was still a pretty song and it seemed just so appropriate for how she felt.

How had it gone?

Humming to herself, she was able to distract herself enough to hum the gentle ballads as each syllable escaped her lips and sung to the wind as the waves crashed along the cliff to her right…

Like a sighing angel, her voice pushed through, her eyes closed, and her music entered the ears of everyone around her…

*****Upload this in youtube: w9MuQ0LYPwA *****

_~~"My shattered dreams and broken heart…_

_…are mending on the shelf…~~_

_~~I saw you, holding hands…_

_…standing close to someone else…~~_

The enforcers, Kuyou, and everyone turned to Kurumu as her words trembled with ache. To her side, Mizore slipped her cool hand into Kurumu's, listening with heart felt understanding and empathy to the spirit broken succubus. Shade and Ageha were also there, keeping themselves next to their beloved sprite of a young woman whose trials have been unfair since the day she let her eyes fall prey to Aono Tsukune.

Tsurara took up the rear, personally staying between her daughter and her friend's family from Kuyou. The kitsune enforcer said nothing, letting Kurumu pursue her own self interests just so long as it didn't stop her from doing what was expected of her.

Xxx

Just a ways off, Tsukune heard her, listened to her, felt her pain as each word reverberated in a way he didn't know he had hurt her.

She sang some more…

xxx

_~~"Now I sit, all alone…_

_Wishing all my feelings were gone."~~_

Tears feel down her cheeks, raising her voice, echoing her burning pain…

_~~"**I gave my best to you**…_

_Nothing for me to do,_

_But I've one last cry.._

_One last cry…~~"_

Xxx

Tsukune whispered into his hand, trying to keep the emotion from choking him. In all their time together, she did her best, her very, very best for him and for everyone…

"Kurumu…chan…"

xxx

_~~"Before I leave it all behind._

_I've got to put you out of my mind_

_This time…_

_Stop living a lie…_

_I guess I'm down to my last cry…"~~_

Friend, Mother, Aunt, and everyone witness Kurumu's thick, womanly voice reach a memorizing octave that reflected the wounded heart inside a girl who lost a boy she cared so, so much for…

…if she could forget him and move on, they would help her.

_~~"Oh-oh-o…_

_I was here, you were there._

_I guess we never could agree…_

_Why the sun shines on you._

_I need some love to rain on me…"~~_

Xxx

Tsukune thought back to all the times Moka and him just let the world bleed away, seeing only each other when there were so many others who needed him, loved him, desperate to get any fraction of attention the could. What did he do? Where had this all lead to?

Chewing his lip, he pressed himself closer to the tree, ready to walk out just to hold her…

…but he waited because…

…because…

…he wanted to hear her song and listen to her uninterrupted.

xxx

_~~"Still I sit, all alone, wishing all my feelings were gone…_

_Got'a get over you…_

_Nothing for me to do…_

_But I've one last cry! One last cry!_

_Before I leave it all behind…_

_I've got to put you out of my mind…_

_This time…_

_Stop living a lie…_

_I know I've got to be strong, because around me life goes on and on…._

_…and on…_

_But I've one last cry…one last cry…_

_Before I leave it all behind…_

_I've got to put you out of my mind…_

_For the very last time…_

_Been living a lie…_

_I guess I'm down…_

_I guess I'm down…_

_I guess I'm down…_

_…to my last cry…"~~_

Like a breath, the enforcers along with Kuyou recognized the beauty of her sound, her soul exposed so vulnerably.

That was when, like any one who felt the young succubus's pain screamed at the top of her lungs, a voice broke the serenity of the moment.

"They killed him, Kurumu!"

Kuyou, Keito, and the other enforces turned to Ageha's tear streaked and livid scream as she reached inside her purse and pulled out two bottles of perfume. Shade was quick to followed suit, with wings sprouting and fingers reaching for the bottles of perfume in her purse.

Kurumu blinked at the elder bluenette in confusion.

Kuyou's hands were already glowing with fire and seemed all the more ecstatic to what was unraveling before him.

"Killed him? Him who?" Mizore asked quietly, narrowing her eyes.

Tsurara read Ageha's and Shade's quick movements and the situation. Throwing up her hands, she froze the air around them, calling upon the waves far from the edge of the cliff to raise high. A wall, blood red reached twenty feet high with faces fracturing the small glacier.

Kurumu didn't need to know 'who' the 'him' was that her mother talked about. There was just too much pain, regret, and, lastly, a sadness in her voice that reminded her too much of the time her mother talked about her papa…

Him could only mean one person…

…Tsukune…

Kuyou's grin was blood thirsty when two words escaped his lips…

"Take them."

* * *

**AN:Just so everyone is aware, ClanCrusher has a Forum called Prepare to be Reviewed. I highly suggest everyone check it out. Just go to Forums, type in ClanCrusher in the search box, and choose Prepared to be Reviewed to see what he thought of my story 'Get What You Wanted'.**

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**Your Mistress.**


	26. Ch 26 Join Me

**Take What Is Yours**

**Ch 26 Join Me**

**Snow Village**

"Congratulations, all of your results are positive."

As one, the Chosen Maidens, as their sacrifice has labeled them among their people, lifted their eyes to their Priestess.

Inside a pristine white room, eleven young yukki-onna knelt in front of the Snow Priestess. Heads returning to their proper bow, there was a stony silence as if they were afraid to breathe let alone respond to the news that had been brought to them.

A quiet snuffling came from the end of the line of young Yukki Onnas.

Attention dawn, the Snow Priestess shuffled over to her, staring inquisitively at the woman.

"Rise, my child."

The woman did so, tears falling from pretty mauve pupil less eyes.

"You are...Kitithi, are you not?" The Priestess's voice hummed, studying the woman in every detail.

Kitithi nodded, wiping at her eyes with the back of her white sleeve. "Yes, Priestess."

"Why," The ornate hand of the Snow People's leader reached out to touch Kitithi's cheek gently, "are you crying?"

"I...I..." She mumbled, fearfully afraid of her words, yet, her duty to her Priestess and her people demanding she obey, "I didn't want a child from anyone but my husband. My husband, my love, is angry with me and...and...I think he hates me! He won't touch me! He doesn't hug me, hold me, talk to me, or even look at me! I...I know this is supposed to be for the good of the people and my village, Priestess, but...but...I lost my husband!"

The other Chosen Maidens were silent, but the Priestess did not miss several of them nodding their heads.

The Priestess had not anticipated such a show. Giving birth was paramount to their societies survival. Having one of her maidens show even a restrained hardship about it proposed that if one feels like such, then other may also parallel her perception.

It worried her.

Why were they even showing anything but a sense of triumphant accomplishment?

Why were there tears?

She knew her people and this was...unusual.

"Your husband," The Snow Priestess began quietly, inquiring with an extreme focus that unsettled the weeping Kitithi, "He is...an elf, is he not?"

"Y-yes," she sniffled, "and...in his culture, mates are for life. His people can normally live for thousands of years and, the fact he chose me, a yukki-onna, who can only live for a little over sixty, is considered a great show of love! His people don't believe in divorce! They don't seek other mates! I've received a child from him already, but he can't have another for at least twenty more years and...and...in his eyes, I've betrayed him!"

Nodding, the light flickered off the icicles and tassels from the Snow Priestess headpiece, "Very well. Your sacrifice has been noted, Kitithi, and so has your husband's."

Turning her heads to the other maidens, she speaks cool, calm, and clear.

"Does any other maiden have a similar situation? Please, don't hide your pain from me. Since you have all helped your people, I will see that your needs are met in any way I can."

No one raised their hands at first, but...

One...Two...Four...Six...

...dainty, slender fingers trembled as they cautiously lifted.

Out of the Eleven, six hands raised and the women shamefully cast their eyes down. The other five, she knew, no longer had husbands. They were widows.

Clasping her hands, she opened her mouth to speak, but a burst of blue flame puffed, causing a gasp among the attended.

Large, pupil less eyes looked down at herself, confused, when another burst escaped her lips, causing panic among the eleven maidens, "Priestess!"

Two dark, black narrowed eyes glared from the hovering whisper of blue flame that the Priestess belched.

**"No, not the Priestess...just...Jack."** It hissed at them from a grotesque grin of very sharp teeth.

The Maidens ran through the doors in fear.

**xxx**

"What is the meaning of this?" The Priestess inquired after she had sent her clerics to settle the anxious maidens. A small ball of flame, bounding in the air like a will-o-the-wisp with a wickedly malevolent grin spun about her face, flicking light off like a torch, "Why would you reveal yourself to-"

**"A Deviation has occurred."** He interrupted with his scratchy rasp.

This gave the Priestess pause. Jack, being ancient and predating her race, was the one who had established the traditions and customs that every snow priestess followed. Evil though he was, it was because of him the Snow People had survived untold horrors and still existed. If he was breaking his own rules it had to be a serious matter.

Being kidnapped was considered very romantic among Snow Maidens. To steal someone away was (for them) the ultimate sign of love. At least, that was what the indoctrination was told to them by the Priestess...

...who has been instructed by Jack Frost.

"Who? Tsukune?" The Priestess's dark, ice burg eyes impatiently watched the fiery blue ball spirit about.

**"No...not just Tsukune..."** It growled with its glass scraping rock voice. **"We need to go...now..."**

"Where?" The Priestess was already preparing the spell...

**"Youkai..."**

**xxx**

As soon as Tsukune heard Ageha shout about his demise, he felt enough was enough. It was time to clear things up and put an end to whatever reason Kuyou had brought Kurumu, Mizore and their family here.

His need to fix this made his blood hum pleasantly, filling his limbs and soul with a lightness that made him feel as if he was walking on air...

**ZZZWWWFFTP!**

**ZZZWWWFFTP!**

**ZZZWWWFFTP!**

**ZZZWWWFFTP!**

"Nmprph!" Tsukune's mouth and head were wrapped by thick cords of root and tree trunk. From the earth and surrounding foliage, wood and stone hurled itself at him, runes brightened where they were invisible before startling him with their brightness.

...then gravity pulled him back to the soil where it grounded him gracelessly.

"Krmumu! Mrzr! Rrrby!" He tried to scream, pull the coiled roots and sticks, grinding dirt and stone away from him, calling upon his strength and blood to pull him free, but it was a useless feat.

As the world around him started to pull him deeper and deeper into the earth, in the distance he saw an angel of darkness fall from the heavens to save him.

**xxx**

"Master!" Ruby called out from the heavens with only the moonlight and clouds to hear her.

She had kept a vigilant eye from the sky, keeping her distance to ensure if she was needed or things would go awry she could assist however possible.

Then she felt it, the pulse in the mana just outside the circle of Kuyou, his team, and Ruby's family. Her dark violet eyes shifted to her master, the air around him alive with shimmering runes and glyphs, ensnaring him with coils of vegetation similar to how she would have had summoned back at Witch's Knoll...

...but these limbs were different.

She could see him struggle, just as the whole area about him went mad with violence. Zipping through the air next to her, Ageha and Shade flitted through the air, powerful bat wings pushing them around an aerial battle with two enforcers morphed into bees.

While a part of her wanted to help, all she could see was Tsukune struggle harder and harder with those roots and limbs! It couldn't be possible! His blood and vampire strength should shrug off such a simple manifestation...unless...

...unless...

"Yukari...the Sendos...NO!"

Ruby remembered the family Sendo specifically preparing spells around the Academy to hunt or trap vampires. Had Tsukune simply kept his human form, he may have been uninjured, but when whatever threat presented itself near him he decided to summon his blood.

The Sendo's trap worked flawlessly!

Pushing herself to a plummeting death dive, Toujou Ruby fell like a bullet to where her master needed her. Hopefully...

...hopefully...

...she would be able to make it in time to save him.

**xxx**

"Momma! Poppa! Look! Desu!"

Yukari caught the attention of her parents when a yellow 'X' blip'ed on a map on the wall.

"Isn't that the security runes we had set for the vampire attack the Headmaster was expecting?"

Mr and Mrs Sendo agreed with silent nods. It was Mrs Sendo that reached for her wand first, but Mr Sendo halted her.

"If they were attacking, why would they release their power so far away from the Academy?"

Taking that bit of information into consideration, Yukari thought up another question. "Why is there only one? If it was an attack, wouldn't there be more trying to attack all at once?"

Mrs. Sendo brought the thought into full circle. "Unless it's not an attack, but a single vampire who would try to use their Youkai to such a strength to attack something else to alert the runes."

Yukari gasped, grabbing for her crutch in one hand and her wand in another. "It's Tsukune! I bet Kuyou has come back with Kurumu and he's mad! We need to help him, Desu!"

"But, the Headmaster-" Mr Sendo reached for Yukari's shoulder, stopping her.

Yukari gave him a wide eye'd stare as if she was expecting him to keep her there.

"-needs to be informed to cover our reasons for assisting. Go, I'll relay the message."

"Thanks, Poppa!" She gave him a quick kiss and left hand in hand with her mother.

Right before the door closed behind her, a dark green vial made her pause long enough to stare. Shaking her head, she carried on out to help her friends.

That vial had the name 'Kurumu' on it.

**xxx**

Ageha and Shade were the first to move. Extending leathery wings and claws they leapt into the air drawing the attention of the female enforcers. Mizore surrounded both herself and Kurumu in a shell of ice when Keito's mouth split wide, launching a volley of silk webbing. The move kept them momentarily safe but also cut them off from the others.

As all this went on around them two elder monsters slowly circled each other.

Grinning playfully, Kuyou came to a stop and opened his arms wide to Tsurara, giving her an open target.

"It would be a shame to let such an opportunity pass, hm? Fire and Ice. We are natural enemies."

Tsurara's hands iced over into inhuman claws and her hair sparkled in the sunlight. The ground beneath her feet froze solid and the air itself filled with an arctic chill.

"I am not interested in being your enemy. All that matters to me is protecting the girls."

Kuyou could see his breath as spoke. "What ever happens to Kurumu is for the Hades Lord to decide."

"That is not acceptable."

"Then I suppose we have a problem."

"Fine, then let's settle this between just the two of us. Mizore and Kurumu don't need to be involved with this. Everything was my idea so I'm the one you want," Tsurara explained, expanding the area of frozen ground while drawing more moisture from the ocean air.

Seeing the frustration of the spiderwoman enforcer, Tsurara knew her daughter and Kurumu should be safe for a while.

"That's very noble, but my orders were to collect Kurumu and I always carry out my orders." Kuyou's inhuman grin mocked Tsurara's placid aura. "Of course those orders didn't mention you or the others. It's still not too late. Just stand aside and you won't be hurt.

"You will not harm her!" Ageha screeched as she and Shade suddenly dived down at him with their claws raking Kuyou across his torso and back. His black Enforcer's jacket shredded to ribbons and cast aside fluttered to the ground in pieces.

There was only fabric and not a single drop of blood.

"Too slow," the now jacketless enforcer told them with a mocking laugh. "And much too weak!"

On his pristine white shirt were two sets of claw marks on both front and back where the shirt had been torn completely open. Yet the skin beneath remained roughly scratched and whole. Kuyou's five tails lashed out with pure fire as he took on his other form. Ageha and Shade only just avoided the flames and still cried out from the intensity of the heat. Dodging they both climbed back into the air.

"Are you beginning to understand your situation? You can't hope to win. Now you had best settle down before I lose my patience." Kuyou's transformed, releasing his pure kitsune form. Several lengthy tails caressed where the succubi had clawed him, offering himself a sense of comfort for those shallow wounds. "In any case, the Headmaster has no intention of killing her."

Tsurara shot out a volley of ice spears to distract Kuyou from her friends, but, in return, he whipped his tails in her direction, scorching the frozen earth and sending up an angry hiss of steam.

"Why should we believe you when you've been telling so many lies? What is this nonsense of Tsukune being killed? Why would you be so cruel as to tell the people who love him such a thing?" Tsurara demanded as she checked her situation. Kuyou was focused on her for the moment. That was what she wanted.

Keito was now atop the dome of ice, hacking at it with a long spear tipped limb.

The female bee and wasp enforcers that chased Ageha and Shade were on the ground with their eyes covered with their hands, screaming in agony. Apparently that perfume was not something to allure as much as it was to repel.

"Oh, that was just another one of Lord Mikogami's lies." Kuyou answered casually. "You and the others should be used to them by now. He lies all the time. Didn't you know that?"

"Why would he do that?"

"Because it's a ruse!" Kuyou roared, laughing at all of them. "A trick! Everything is a joke! You all think you know everything, because everything looks the same since you were students here, but it's only the same thing being fed to the student body over and over again! You actually feel safe here, don't you?"

Tsurara felt the need to back up but pay close attention.

Ageha, Shade, and the enforcers who were still lucid were listening.

"You're all such fools! You really believe you have a choice in any of this?" Kuyou shook his head, covering his face with his overly large hand. "That's the genius of it all! None of you really knows anything! Feel free to believe whatever you want. The truth is I don't even want to kill Kurumu or any of you! I want you to join me!"

"I thought we were already on Mikogami's side… more or less." Ageha flanked the fire kitsune, getting ready to attack again.

"No," Kuyou opened his arms, lifting his voice to the sky, letting them bask in his gloriously bright presence, "I said I wanted you to join _me_, not Mikogami!"


	27. Ch 27 Reasons

Take What Is Yours

Ch 27 Reasons

He could visibly see his youkai being drained by the glowing runes around him, the roots leeching it away as he struggled with the hulking coils. Tsukune felt their octopi like ropes pull him into the earth, the very soil shifted under him, sinking him further and further into a rock bubbling cocoon. Fear was settling in, the kind that immobilizes, catches your breath when you want to breathe, and takes your voice when you want to yell.

"Master!"

So someone screamed for him.

Ruby. She was up there, wings spread and dangerously coming close to impacting the earth head first with her hand outstretch, tears falling from those large purple eyes, and the long raven black locks of hair fluttering behind her. As her triple pair of ravens wings caught the air, angling in a way to prevent her from becoming an indention in the ground, she tripped over herself several times, only to rebalance herself and head over to him, hands glowing with the mystic weave she wielded so masterfully.

The runes fought against her power, though.

Azure lightening and teal fire erupted from the runes and Ruby's outstretched fingers, each one tearing at the other as new runes appeared, seemingly prepared to take on magical defenders who would try to disassemble the protective wards to those who would attack Youkai.

But it was enough to free Tsukune...sort of.

"Ruby!" The tendril of root covering his face broke when he was capable of ripping it through laxed constrictions of his prison. "Save them! Save our friends!"

A snaking root reached out to Ruby from behind, whipping about to remove the witch that was assaulting the perimeter defenses.

Reaching from the ether, splitting the very fabric of reality to receive her scepter, Ruby snatched the gemmed artifact and sliced the air behind her, removing the sneaking arm of her would be aggressor. Calling upon the nature of the land to protect her and Tsukune, the earth shook again, forcing coils of roots and plants to attack the runes assaulting her master.

A battle of nature versus nature was at hand, each one cancelling out the other in a violent display of horticulture gone wild.

It was enough to loosen Tsukune, but not enough to free him.

"Ruby!" Tsukune called out, gripping ardent vines that still refused to let him go, "They're going to hurt them! Save our friends!"

Distracted by the glyphs in front of her, studying them to dispel them, Ruby shook her head, speaking with a firm resolve found in selfless duty, "My place is to save you, Master. That is my purpose."

While it wasn't said, Tsukune's very breath was taken from him when he realized what her normally affectionate and loyal statement meant:

Toujou Ruby would let others die to protect him.

xxx

**Inside Mizore's Ice Dome**

"Kurumu, snap out of it," Mizore shook her catatonic friend's shoulder. Looking up at the cracking ice dome's ceiling, she knew it wasn't long till Keito pierced through it and trapped them with that damn web of hers.

"Is it true," Kurumu mumbled with her breath frosting in cottony puffs, her azure eyes straight ahead and blank, her voice touched with searing emotion. "Is my Tsukune...dead?"

Mizore took a moment to consider her friend's words. "He can't be."

Turning her head to face her rival's deep blue pupil less eyes, she whispered thickly, "How do you know?"

Reaching out to her friend, Mizore took Kurumu's hand and placed it on her stomach, causing the succubus to flinch painfully.

"We were together just a few weeks ago and he was very much alive," Mizore eyes look beyond Kurumu and into her memory, her eyes pinched in worry. "I assure you, with every fiber of my being and with the blessings of my Priestess, that I would have felt it if he was gone from us. Besides, he owes us."

"Us?" Kurumu glanced towards the same spot in her domed enclosure her friend was, hoping to see into the future where Mizore's hopes were headed.

"Hm," Mizore confirmed, giving Kurumu a small reassuring smile. "He needs us, Kurumu."

"But..." The succubu's doubts were clouded with her suffocating neglect from him.

"Above all, Kurumu," Mizore gave her friend a gentle, serene smile, "I think he needs you."

Kurumu nearly blushed at the idea, trying to think over the constant ticking sound growing louder at the concave ceiling of the dome.

"If he needed me, then why-" Kurumu began, but Mizore interrupted with a quick hug.

"Because, out of all of us, next to Moka, you are the one he goes to and trusts to help him."

"Really?" Kurumu asked in a small voice, a glimmer of hope returning to her dark blue-violet eyes.

"As funny as this may sound, you and him think with your hearts and not your heads." Mizore shushed her by tightening her embrace, "So stop using the one you're bad at and start with the one you use the most, stupid."

Kurumu was sure there was a compliment in there somewhere in the comparison, but, in the end, she decided to put her own insecurities at rest and do what was always needed of her.

Protect her friends and, especially, her Destined One.

"What do we do, Mizore?" Kurumu blinked her dark azure eyes at her friend, confused and angry at being left out of so much from the person who meant the world to her.

"What we always do, you cow," Mizore held her friends hand affectionately, "The best we can."

Feeling a surge of strength in Mizore's confidence, she gave a perky nod of her head.

"Right!" Kurumu agreed, just as a part of the domed roof collapsed revealing the multi socket eyes of Keito, the purple haired spider woman Enforcer.

Spitting a wad of silk at Mizore, Kurumu threw her hand out in front, extending her wicked foot long claws and bisecting the wad harmlessly away. A guttural hiss sounded through the butcher knives sharp mandibles of their attacker, but it was returned by a cool, ghostly moan from the Yukki Onna, sniping a spear of ice right at Keito's face.

Flipping backwards fast enough to dodge the icicle, she was soon sprayed the a shower of ice debris when Kurumu burst through the small opening, quickly giving chase and lashing out at Keito fast enough to make her back peddle and shoot off web silk defensively. This move, however, left her flank open...

"Aaaarrgh!"

...to a volley of slivers of ice needles riddling her side, narrowly killing her if it wasn't for her great peripheral vision, amazing reflexes, and experience in melee.

Turning in time snap off a few more wads of silk, Mizore brought up an ice wall, deflecting them away. Kurumu swiftly brought in her attack up close and personal, swiping and dodging with a flurry of razor sharp claws against Keito's exoskeleton's lethal forelimbs.

As the battle between two on one continued, the two other female enforcers, hornet and bee, were soon recovering enough to carefully flank Ageha and Shade stealthily...

xxx

"What purpose could you possibly lead that would make us ever consider joining you, Kuyou?" Ageha spat, striding carefully over to Kuyou's left while Shade aimed for his adjacent blind spot.

"I work for a division of Fairy Tale that is not exactly on the books, but highly sponsored," He announced proudly. "There is a new era coming about and with Kurumu's and yours, Tsurara, bold near unveiling of monsters to humans, it would be in your best interest to use your skills with our soon to be announcement of our coming! It is time for us to stop hiding and take our place in the world as monsters to be acknowledged! The real ruler of Fairy Tale is about to announce this!"

Ageha blinked, glancing back and forth at her elder sister. "Issa's going to have his people announce to the world monster's exist?"

"No!" Kuyou chuckled darkly, "I said the real Master, his wife: Shuzen Gyokuro."

Shade flinched, making her young sister, Ageha, pale.

"You want us to work under that bitch?" Shade paled, taking an involuntary step backwards. "You really...work for her?"

A satisfactory hum escaped Kuyou's wickedly fanged jaw, "Oh, I do indeed. She's is a true master with great plans for all of pure blooded monster kind."

Ageha drew his attention with a scoff.

"Good luck, honey, but I think we'll stick to beer swilling, breasts groping, eye leering, bad tipping men. At least they're only looking to screw you, not stab you in the back, light you on fire, and laugh at you while you burn while you're still breathing." Ageha dismissed with a delicate snort.

"You are pure monsters!" Kuyou growled, "Don't waste your time with serving human trash, accepting their handouts! You are better than that!"

"We are pure and I've never considered what I've earned a handout" Shade's multi colored eye began to gleam, matching the blazing ocular fire sprouting in her sister's eyes. "Not all humans are bad. I happen to like them more than most monsters, give or take some celebrities, lawyers, and politicians."

"Succubi have sought out humans as well as other monsters for as long as we've been alive," Ageha snapped, showing her claws and allowing her tail to sprout open at Kuyou, "We have seen them love us and protect us just as any other creature worthy of our notice."

"A pity you couldn't see beyond your mammaries," Kuyou's fire began to lighten, from a hot glowing orange to blue.

"You mentioned that everything was a lie here at Youkai," Tsurara called out, still pulling the moisture from beyond her range, making her ice claws and surrounding formations denser, thicker. "What do you mean?"

"Youkai is an Academy based upon the theories of coexistance between monsters and humans, Peace, but what are we really doing here?" Kuyou paced, folding his thick arms over the fire crackling over his chest. "We say we are expected to prepare ourselves for human integration, but should a single homosapien come here we burn them at the stake. We speak of harmony, but knowingly allow gangs like Antithesis to exist, turning a blind eye as they abuse weaker monsters for the sake of making their pack feel powerful against pure breeds by sheer numbers. My master, Mikogami-sama, watches everything, giving speeches and checking for problems along the borders of his realm, all the while inconspicuously inviting a single human to try and survive every second or third year, watching them become absorbed into this hidden world, hoping they will not only adapt but thrive."

Ageha and Shade were silent, as was the lone matron Yukki Onna. In the background, Keito and the black and white duet were giving it their all against her.

Focusing his eyes behind the sister succubi, he saw his previously downed enforcers take flight, gaining momentum to ambush them.

"The lie is the school as a whole. It's a battleground hidden behind a school facade. Look at this," He gestures about him," Can't you see it's a breeding ground for an integration experiment?" Kuyou chuckled, mocking them, "All the activities, knowledge, well to do events and lectures are illusions. This is the middle ground for all sorts of social collisions to be examined and where cultural differences can be witnessed and recorded for later. Can't you see all the tombstones here? It's not even a good illusion! All the skulls littering these dark woods where those who wonder off simply...vanish."

Ageha and Shade shuddered, knowing full well those rumors and legends of what would happen to those who strayed from the path and into those unlit canopies of leaveless tree limbs.

"Why do you think it's considered just 'bad form' to kill here and no real punishment dealt?"

Neither succubi or Yukki Onna had an answer. Their own experiences confirmed his story as true, a very scary but horrible truth.

"If there were any real retribution for punishing creatures for acting on their instincts, can you imagine a whole race proclaiming their righteousness over an academy mixed with other powerful races? Can you imagine the bloodshed of multiple monsters attacking here, centralizing their clans and packs for revenge? It would be a glorious slaughter!" Kuyou cackled with the restraint of arrogance and haughty control keeping himself poised. "However, with that said, can you also imagine the loss we would have over the humans should they ever find out about us?"

Ageha was the first to figure it out. "We are already outnumbered two thousand to one."

A puff of orange fire halo'd around Kuyou's jowls, "Yes, and with their weapons, general technology, and already well developed resources, we wouldn't really stand a chance."

"Why don't you really say what you're afraid of?" Tsurara sniped, her pupiless blue eyes narrowing angrily. "You ask us to join us for what other reason than 'bettering ourselves. There has to be more."

A steady stream of flame escaped Kuyou's nostrils. "I think we've, as a species of non-humans, have plateu'd. We are never going to be allowed to flourish as we were meant to be. Think about it."

He pointed to the succubi sisters, "You two used to rule the school when you were enrolled here, yet now you hide away in some strip club, shedding your clothes for money and attention when your very own race is on the brink of near extinction because you have to hide your true forms least you reveal yourselves."

With his mighty fist, he clenched it low, suggestively, "You should have each and every male species by the balls! You have that power with your charm, your sexual appeal, yet you all hide behind the fear of exposing what you really are! You hide the very purpose of your creation and allow your people to wither! How detestable! And you!"

He gestures with a slash of fire towards Tsurara.

"Your people have flourished above every other species of non-humans, but why?"

"I know where you're going with this, but it won't help you." Tsurara put herself directly in the middle, between Shade and Ageha, creating a perfect wedge to hit Kuyou all at once with her friends flanking her.

"Through kidnapping," He scoffed, answering his own question. "You've resorted yourselves to thieves, taking in the dark through the left overs of society, allowing almost anyone, anything become your mates, bending your very pride as individuals for the mere purpose of becoming brood mares! How do you look in the mirror, at any reflective surfaces knowing that is the full extent of yourselves!"

"You're right," Ageha answered him, "We have done what you've said, but for a reason, something you simply seem to have overlooked."

"And that is," Kuyou's fire dimmed, watching the eyes of the female trio before him.

"It's our choice," Tsurara answered, her back sprouting large ice wings, a silvery halo of ice circling her head. The very air around her turning artic and glazed with thick ice.

"There is no harmony without sacrifice," Shade answered, her eyes proud and defiant. "Yes, we could have the harem you speak of, but we'd also destroy the lives of many couples for the greed of our want should we follow your theories. As thrilling as it is for you to think we could dominate like that, we've learned our lessons and found no happiness, no glory, and especially no real love in taking what is not given freely."

"Our people don't mind taking without consent," Tsurara replied without hesitation, earning a heated glower from her rival. "It has been our way for the last couple of generations and we've have revived our people to a standing that was almost extinct."

"I know you wouldn't," Ageha snapped at Tsurara, a thick vein pulsing along the side of her head. "I will never forgive you for taking Rakashi from me."

"This is not the time for this!" Shade hissed, "Can't we talk about this another time?"

Tsurara's and Ageha's long past rivalry seemed to spark with one single name, making the demon kitsune chuckle at their distraction.

"What is your answer?" Kuyou held out his hands, almost in a gesture of open acceptance.

All three women shook their heads.

"Pity," Kuyou smirked arrogantly, "but, not unexpected."

Ageha and Shade's eyes opened wide, both of their heads jerking to the sky as if their very breaths were taken out from them. Tsurara heard their sharp intakes of breath before watching them crumpled to the ground.

Behind them, the bee and wasp Enforcer had their stingers wet with blood from their victims.

"I am still a servant of my Master Mikogami as I am of Mistress Gyokuro. Their paths parallel the other, so, with that being said, I am also here to recruit members to our cause. That I ask for your help is merely a gesture, nothing more. You all WILL be participating in her endeavors for Monster control over the human world whether you do so willingly or not."

Tsurara glanced at her sides, seeing sharp mandibles snapping at her rival's and her sister's neck, menacingly tempted to feast into their soft flesh.

"We were here peacefully! There is no need to involve them! I am the one you want!" Tsurara shouted, her large claws gesturing towards the Enforcers.

"Oh, no, no, no," Kuyou chuckled darkly, "Your presence is hardly peaceful and, you forget, I am following the rules of Master Mikogami to the letter. You two forced your way into this realm without permission. Ageha and Shade broke a ruling that had a promise of death should they actually reveal matters of court to anyone outside of a specific time frame. They are alive simply by my grace."

"What ruling was that?"

"Aono's Tsukune's death."

The Snow Woman paused, unable to blink at such an announcement.

In the distance, she could hear muffled voices, something involving the Headmaster's witch, but it was blanketed by the echoing of her heart thudding painfully against her chest that her daughter's beloved Tsukune could have passed since the time they last saw him.

"But he's not dead," Tsurara whispered over her lollipop. "He was just with us, my daughter and I...he...can't be. We would have know...the Priestess..."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Kuyou raised his hand, "Now, if you don't surrender, I DO have the authority to have Ageha and her sister killed. This is your last chance. Stand down."

Seeing the hungry insect dark eyes of the women holding Shade and Ageha, Tsurara raised her ice gauntlet hands, allowing the temperature to warm, dispelling her foundation to attack the fire kitsune and his servants.

Lowering her gaze, she folded her hands, regular human lithe fingers, into her sleeves.

Lowering his thick paw, Kuyou accepted her gesture of defeat. "I was informed to bring Kurumu to see Mikogami and to not injure you or your daughter. In time, you will see that there is merit to our purposes."

Flicking his head at the duo Enforcers, "Restrain her first and then we'll capture Kurumu and Mizore. I'm sure Keito would appreciate th-"

As soon as the girls came to either side of Tsurara, she unfolded her hands and...

BANG! BANG!

Twin buzzing screams echoed off the cliffs walls, barely muffled by the crashing waves.

...shot her would be jailers in the stomachs.

"HHHHHHUUUUUOOOOOOO!" Tsurara wailed a deathly cry, calling to her power, freezing the female duo, encasing Shade and Ageha, and creating a forest of sharp icicles to pierce Kuyou.

Snarling, Kuyou leaped through her assault, slicing himself here and there with her prickly spears, but barely doing any damage to his fiery hide.

A gattling gun barrage assaulted him, riddling him with twin pistol automatic ice rounds.

His pain filled roar was heard throughout all of Youkai.

Whipping his tails as he dodged what he could, Tsurara slid across the open field of ice quickly, trying to dodge Kuyou's impressive speeds and agility, but even she, with her wings of ice protecting her and her constant automatic rain of magic ice chambered rounds wasn't enough to fully deflect the kitsune's assault.

Especially when it came in the formation of a giant wheel of fire...

xxx

This was getting bad.

Tsukune could only watch in horror as Ageha and Shade fell, leaving them vulnerable to the trio of Enforcers. Tsurara's 'last stand' attitude gave him hope that there was a chance to get out of here, but that emotion was fleeting when he saw her take the brunt of Kuyou's hell fire, nearly leveling her to steam.

He had to get out there. Tsukune HAD to protect his family, his friends, those that expected him to do more than just be their constant vigil, putting their lives in the way of his for the sake of his safety...

"I'm almost done, Master," Toujou Ruby announced, moving her hands across some kind of master glyph glowing in the air.

Around them was a massive war of earth and plants, coils of roots fighting plants gnawing on the other to keep the other away from their summoner.

"What good is it to have the power of Shinso when I can't use it!" Tsukune finally shouted, frustrated beyond words that this supposedly legendary blood in his veins was keeping him grounded. No matter how much he pulled from the youkai to force himself through it, those wards were sapping away his strength and ability before he could even use it.

"I'm doing the best I can!" Ruby answered, equally frustrated, "But these wards were created for the sole purpose of bleeding Vampire youkai!"

Like some kind of slap in the face, Tsukune almost wanted to laugh at how absurdly stupid he was.

Click...

The very earth, plants, demonic trees and their vile roots stilled.

Ruby turned around in time to see Tsukune climb out of his almost sarcophagus made of foliage and sprint to protect his friends.

Dumbfounded, Ruby only had a moment to say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Tsukune reverted himself back by replacing his holy lock.

Realizing Tsukune was alone and very, VERY vulnerable, she gripped her scepter in her hands, sprouted her wings, and flapped to save her master from his very dangerous encounter with elite monsters...

...as a human.

xxx

Keito lay beaten on her back, half formed in her human appearance and the rest still twitching subdued in her arachnid guise.

"I'm...going...to...kill you." She hissed with fevered determination.

Panting, Mizore and Kurumu were bent at the waist, praising each other with a shared smile when they heard the sound of gunfire.

"Mother?" Mizore looked up to see, in the very near distance, the two other female Enforcers guarding them falling to their sides, holding their stomachs and wailing in agony.

"Mommy! Auntie!" Kurumu screamed in panic, already flying at the prone figures that lay next to Tsurara's assaulting barrage.

Mizore turn to chase Kurumu, when she heard something that made the hair raise at the back of her neck.

FFFIPT!

FFFIPT!

FFFIPT!

She couldn't move.

The Yukki Onna didn't have to look behind her to realize she had made one of the most basic but most dangerous mistakes when fighting.

"Never turn your back on your enemy," Keito hissed, holding her side where three of her four limbs were now dangling broken and useless.

Fear, remarkable fear took her when she heard the clicking tittering which could have been laughter coming from Keito's mandibles. Half of the eyes on her face were mashed, their sockets fractured bloody.

A glow of hope filled her like nothing she ever experienced before. It was like a wash of vengeance, violent and powerful growing inside of her. Foundationless and without reason, she felt at peace.

"Now, I think I said I was going to kill-"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Rushing like some sprinting beast, Tsukune jumped bodily, thrusting both feet in front of him, planting his heels solidly in Keito's back.

The spiderwoman tumbled away from Mizore in a heap, gasping for breath that wouldn't seem to come.

Tsukune stumbled gracelessly, getting back to his feet only to reach for the nearest rock, stick, limb, anything...

...a tombstone...

...heaved it over his head and...

...hesitated.

He saw it in the Enforcer's eyes, all six, due to two of them being ruined, but it was there. This woman enjoyed her power over others, dominating others, putting herself in thrall over those weaker than her...yet, there was a flicker of fear...

...enough to tug at his humanity...but...

_How many people have you enjoyed killing_, he asked himself, reminded of how Ria had those eyes when she looked down at her prey.

Mizore screamed, "Watch out!"

Had he not lowered the tombstone, he would have been pierced in the chest by Keito's remaining spear-like forelimb. The reality of what kind of creature she was made him jump to the side, cursing himself that he would have even hesitated.

She was an arachnid, with speed and strength dozens of times stronger than a human's, strong enough to even subdue monsters bigger and stronger than average.

Keito was a veteran worthy of being Kuyou's Lieutenant, however she also shared his same arrogance...without restraint.

"Two...creatures...with family...and friends..." She lumbered forward, one arm held at her side as she reshaped her face, only half of it arachnid and the other half human female. "I've...watched you...together...monsters...protecting you...a human...and it disgusts...me...Tsukune, you need...to die."

Raising her one good limb, she brought it back high, but Tsukune was already charging, dashing dirt in her face that he picked up when he had fallen. He sidestepped, knowing she was going to aim where she had last saw him and watched as her limb pierced the ground...

SNAP!

...and then break when he gripped her limbs on both sides of the joint and threw his knee at it with all of his might.

Keito's agonizing wail was an eerie sound, something beyond a scream of pain and indignation.

Just as she noisily fell gripping the last of her useless appendages, she was silenced by roots gripping her from underneath and ripping her eight limbs and head to pieces.

Above Tsukune and a webbed Mizore, Ruby floated over head with her scepter glowing with power...

...only to fall like a downed bird when a spasm took her.

Catching her before she fell hard enough to break something, he saw the smattering of blood come from one nostril and out one ear.

"Tsukue!" Mizore tried to voice through her muffled webbing, garnering his attention. "Kurumu!"

Tsukune only had to see the panic in his lovely snow maiden's face to realize who he was talking about.

Looking past his shoulder where Tsurara and Kuyou were engaged in a deadly battle. The young human was surprised to see Kurumu holding onto Kuyou's neck for dear life as she continued to viciously stab at his face.

It worried him beyond words when he saw Tsurara on the ground barely moving.

xxx

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! What did you do to my mother! My Auntie! Mizore's mother and My Tsukune! Tell me!"

While asking her questions and threatening Kuyou to the best of her abilities, Kurumu had latched onto his neck with her legs, gouged out his eyes and had her tail firmly rooted in the middle of his head, Kuyou was bucking frantically, trying to dislodge the ever growing menace on his shoulders.

Kurumu had arrived to witness Tsurara receive a brutal beating by the kitsune Enforcer. Half of her body was badly burned along with some of her face and hair. One arm hung limply as severe burns smoldered along her waist and back. One bare shoulder was exposed with claw marks along with a nasty swelling under her left eye.

With her illusion ability pushing its full potential, Kurumu was able to convince the badly lacerated and frost burned Kuyou that he was drowning in a sea of water, forcing him to try and reach out and catch his breath. Panicked, he had thrown Kurumu off several times, only for her to jump back on him, slashing away as best she could with a tenacity born out of rage for the man who would hurt her precious people.

That, however, would come to also be her mistake...

"Kurumu, get off of him," Ageha called out to her daughter with her loudest whisper, still unable to move from her spot on the dirt from the poison coursing through her veins.

Tsukune dashed over to where Kurumu was still trying to slice open Kuyou's face, but was too late from the fire fox from grabbing the blunettes locks of hair and tossing her away like a misbehaving child.

He could hear Kurumu's suction from her tail separate with a loud 'POP'!

While the throw would have crumbled most creatures, Kurumu opened her wings and balancing herself before she landed. Seeing the fire vulpine thrashing wildly, she decided she needed to get to her mother and her aunt before they were really injured during his chaotic rampage.

"My eyes! Grrrrrraawwrrrlll!" Kuyou swung wildly with one arm, his teeth gnashing out at any sound.

Ducking his wild swings, Kurumu ran over to her mother trying to get her on her feet.

"Mommy, hurry, lets get out of...Tsukune!" Kurumu beamed happily, blissfully assured that her Destined One was, indeed, alive! "Help me get my mom and Auntie-"

"Kurumu!" Tsukune pushed himself faster...faster...but he saw it was going to be too late! "Behind you! He's going to-!"

Kuyou blindly lumbered to the sound of Kurumu's voice, taking a huge swing at her with his tail ablaze so bright it looked like lava.

The air was dotted with droplettes of burnt blood and the smell of charred flesh.


	28. Ch 28 Fix it

Take What Is Yours

Ch 28 Fix It

The Priestess arrived in a flurry of snow. Her pupil less eyes darting here and there, hoping beyond hope that she could prevent the outcome of such a horrible deviation.

A blue fiery burst exploded by her shoulder, bring with it a chill that even she could not suppress.

**"It's too late,"** Jack announced in his craggy growl.

"No..." The Priestess breathed, looking about her surroundings, sensing '_his_' presence.

There he was, standing ghostly and disturbingly aware of her, his normally eerie grin replaced by a grim line of his lips.

"Come with me." He spoke quietly, quickly.

There was so much she wanted to say, but it would have to wait. Right now, her children were in trouble.

"Yes, Headmaster."

The two disappeared in a mix of dead leaves and snow.

xxx

Everyone saw it, wanted to stop it, but, like the moment that had already passed, it was too late to save her no matter how much anyone willed what had they saw could be unseen from their memory.

A scream from a daughter filled the air, matched only by Tsukune's own anguished cry as the sun bright tails of the kitsune enforcer whipped out, intending to kill whomever was around him to enact revenge upon his lost sight and succeed.

He killed her, burned through her lithe waist with a heat that could cut metal, cauterizing the wounds of an arm as it separated it at the humerus, letting the pistol she held in her grip fly away as she protected her pregnant daughter and the father of her child bodily.

Shirayuki Tsurara's lollipop fell out of her gasping lips, eyes wide at the pain she knew she should have felt but didn't. It surprised her at how little she felt, only that her body had grown uncomfortably warm...even when she hit the ground so hard she could taste the dirt and blood in her cheek, but feel nothing that should have came with what she knew was the end of her life.

It was kind of...serene...she didn't mind, but, before she went off to the heavens of her people, there was just one thing she had to do.

Talk to an old friend...

...if she had the time.

xxx

Ageha saw her clamber to her feet like a new born foal.

Her nee-chan was barely waking up, moaning from the poison still coursing through her, but it was what she saw looking beyond Shade's aching body that drew her eyes.

xxx

**One Minute ago**

Pushing herself up with her hands, panting and laboriously trying to get her feet under her, Tsurara could barely move let alone lift her hands. Trying to catch her breath and ignore the burning wounds to her body, she saw Kurumu rake at Kuyou with a fury that was born of buried anguish, relentless passion, and a fury that would throw caution to the winds.

_She's just like her mother_, Tsurara thought as she got one foot in front of her, taking a tentative step forward to help the wily succubus vixen.

However, as she approached and saw Tsukune protect Mizore from Keito, the spider woman enforcer, she smiled humorlessly when Ruby finish the arachnid female in a grisly dismemberment. Kuyou became unleashed and wild, thrashing about blindly with his tails flailing like molten ribbons of white fire, getting dangerously close to Kurumu, Tsukune, and her daughter.

Kurumu was distracted, blinded by glee that her Destined One was alive.

She didn't see it, blindsided by her own joyful reunion, that it would take her life away within a breath's moment.

_Just like her damn mother!_ Tsurara also though, forcing whatever youkai she could muster in herself, but finding only enough to create ice but not enough or far enough to save them.

A single but stupid thought came to mind...

_This is something her mother would do. I have to protect my friend's baby. I just hope I'm not too late!_

With the remaining youkai in her, she took her pistols out, focused on the ground underneath her feet, and launched herself at Kuyou with an ice shooting itself from the ground towards him fast enough to, hopefully, get there in time to stop him.

If she could make it.

The air cut her face, taking her breath. She tried to aim the pistols at him, but she was going too fast and her arms were too weak. He was getting closer...

...closer...

...closer.

Then she saw it, the inevitable. It scared her, really, really scared her.

Ice, she needed ice to protect her!

She was so empty, her youkai expended on her last summon.

It was just too late.

His tails seared into her like butter, nearly halving her and separating her arm from her body. She only realized she felt anything was at the end of her tumble.

She couldn't move.

Dirt and blood was in her mouth, but she could barely breath.

As much as she wanted to see how bad she was hurt, Tsurara didn't have to. The look in her daughter's, Kurumu's, and Tsukune's face said enough.

She found herself breathing...but it was so shallow, so quick...her time was coming close...

...she had something she wanted to say, but she didn't even know she had a voice at this moment.

"Ageha..."

She only hoped she could hear her.

xxx

Mizore's wrath was as painful to witness as her agony.

Twin iceberg sized boulders appeared from the earth, crashing into Kuyou with jagged icicle spikes crushed him...

...but just enough to hold him in place.

Her ice claws came out full force, making her way past Tsukune to leap at her mother's killer.

Magenta youkai fueled Kurumu, thrusting her into the air at Kuyou.

Tsukune, one who had never drew blood and always felt the need to talk things out, work around problems, or even find no answer in violence, found a dark, dark place within himself howling for revenge.

His logical side tried to dissuade him, saying Kuyou had no intention of killing Tsurara.

Another side told him that he had intended to kill someone...anyone...it didn't matter. Kuyou had lost control and was striking out any way he knew how, by hurting other around him: by violence and rage.

_Was this the first time Kuyou had killed?_ Tsukune was sure it wasn't.

How many innocent were killed by him? How many people were someone's lover? Someone's family? Someone's friend? Someone's child?

And he took them...gladly, gloriously, with a sense of justice and honor.

_How many? Did he even know?_

"You..._have_ to die," Tsukune whispered under his breath, feeling the righteous need to remove Kuyou from the world brought a chill to his heart, allowing something unimaginably dark where nothing like that used to be.

It started there...something...unseen but real, like knowing you have air in your lungs and blood in your veins. It became a part of him, extending from his core, bringing an indescribable push in his senses and strength to his limbs.

It exploded in him, this connection that he didn't know he had.

It connected him to her, Tsurara and her daughter, the mother of his child, Mizore. In it, he felt Mizore's contempt and unchecked rage as she continued to tear into Kuyou with her claws, enacting the due a child could only ask by taking the very essence and life from its mother.

In Tsurara he felt something flickering, something waning. It was there, matured and protective, worried and scared.

It was fading, though. As sure as water seeps into the ground, Tsurara's connection to him was disappearing.

Only in the back of his mind did he feel another presence, another Yukki-Onna, but they were nothing to him at this point.

Reaching on the ground for something, anything to attack Kuyou while he thrashed in fire, trying to get leverage and melt the ice burg cocoon surrounding him, Tsukune felt it in his hand as if it was there for the taking.

Smooth, sturdy, and easily one of the most suitable sticks that could be used to do what needed to be done.

He charged.

Kurumu was there as well, wordless screams coming out of her lips, hacking at the kitsuns tough skin, breaking it away in abrasions after abrasions, slicing and cutting, relentless to dig her fingers into his black heart and rip whatever was keeping him functioning till his death was succeeded.

Kuyou couldn't protect himself anymore.

Both of his arms were being torn to ribbons as he tried to keep his vicious attackers at bay. This was a rare thing for him, this certainty of his end.

It wasn't a surprise or something that would take him out quickly. It wasn't an honorable opponent trying to match him one on one. Normally, he was ready to assert his majesty through his overwhelming power, but the opponents were veterans in their own right with a steadfast resolve behind them.

They were ready to die to see his end.

There was not compromise anymore, he was there for one purpose and one purpose on: To end Kuyou.

Both of the women of Tsukune's life saw him approach, his normally soft brown eyes large with need, terrible need. In his hands, they saw the most unlikely of weapons.

They stepped away, their chests heaving and their breaths whimpering at the loss of Tsurara.

"Keito...is that you?" Kuyou rasped, turning towards Tsukune, sniffing the air. "Beloved...help me...they've...got me...please...help me..."

Looking down, Tsukune saw that he had picked up the spiderwoman's spear like forelimb. A part of him, that human side that still retained most of his innocence, that believed in nonviolence and apologies, forgiveness and love was in horror that he picked up the piece of Kuyou's proclaimed love.

That darkness spoke to him, caressing him with desires to take advantage of Kuyou, tell him the horrible truth of what had happened to his precious Keito, see him suffer, extend his pain with torture sessions and death by attrition.

Where did he stand? Did he kill or did he grant mercy?

What would become of this moment?

Everything inside of him, that human part that was his core screamed at him, shouted that this was not what he needed to do as a human. He wasn't the man that killed, just protected.

Tsukune dashed forward, thrusting his makeshift weapon like a soldier's bayonet, and plunged it into Kuyou's breast. The exoskeleton tip was stronger than any weapon he could have imagined, definitely stronger than Mizore's claws and just so than Kurumu's claws.

Black blood shot out from Kuyou's mouth, surprise and fear.

He, too, couldn't breathe.

He, too, was going to die...

...was dying...

...was dead.

They didn't stare or say anything to him, seeing the bright blaze that was the strongest enforcer of Youkai flicker and fade till nothing but blue/gray skin turn ashen.

Right now, Tsurara was gasping for breath, her body trembling and being embraced by her old rival, her old friend Kurono Ageha.

xxx

Ageha was dizzy when she was able to get back on her feet. Kicking her heels off, she stumbled, crawled, staggered towards the fight where her daughter took Kuyou on, solely pummeling and stabbing him bravely and fearlessly.

She was so proud.

Ageha got her wings out enough to try and fly, but it was a failed attempt, one right after another, but it was enough to eventually get her there...

...but not nearly as fast as she wanted.

It happened in slow motion.

Tsurara's launch, her getting seared through her waist and arm, and the graceless tumble.

**"Tsurara!"**

Her scream didn't come from her voice but from her soul. The tears came, the claws, the sheer _want, _the _need _to be by her, but it didn't come as she willed herself to.

The poison from the hornet still stirring in her blood made whatever move she wanted feel like they were tied to boulders.

**"Tsurara! I'm coming!"**

She could see it from where she crawled, those pupil less blue eyes. Hopes raised, Ageha pushed herself further, praying she'd make it on time...

...and then she was there.

Looking down at the mess that was her friend, her rival, her most hated and loved person next to her Destined One and Kurumu, Ageha turned away to catch her breath.

Breathe...

Breathe...

Breathe...

"Ageha..." Tsurara croaked, reaching out with her one hand to tangle it into the lush aqua locks.

"I'm here," Ageha knelt down, carefully reaching under the snow maiden and resting her head on her lap. "Shhh, don't talk. We're going to get you help."

Ageha turned her head to side to scream, "Get me some help over here! She's hurt!"

Soft fingers threaded themselves with Ageha's, "Take...care of them...for me."

Azure eyes looked down at blue eyes that began to fade.

"What?"

"My...daughter...my...grand...children...my...husband..."

"How can you ask me that!" Ageha almost laughed, her lips pulled to even do so, but her lips came together to try and stop her from screaming at the snow woman to shut the hell up. "Rakashi...and I..."

Tsurara's smile was beautiful, accepting, and benevolent, "He always...wanted to...come back to you. He...fought me at times...and...the Priestess when I brought him...there. He...eventually...gave up and married me."

"I don't want to talk about this now!" Ageha shook her head, covering her ears and closed her eyes.

Sobbing, the mother succubus wept wet tears onto Tsurara's face.

"You...won," Tsurara tenderly reached up, stroking Ageha's hair lovingly. "As...hard as I tried to...be with him, he went to you..."

Ageha did laugh, taking Tsurara's only hand. Covering her face with her free hand, she shook her head, "He only came with me after being with you because I threw myself at him, charmed him, and forced him to take my virginity. After that, I told him to take responsibility if he didn't choose me over you I would tell you what happened between us."

Tsurara slowly blinked up at Ageha, her tranquil eyes unmoving.

"I found out...only after we wed. When I stole him, that night, on our senior prom, I froze him and took him home with me. I shared my wedding night the next week. He told me...and...I forgave him...and, now...I forgive you."

Looking into each other's eyes, Ageha's worry grew when the strength of Tsurara's fingers slackened, her breathing hitched.

"Mizore, get over here now!" Ageha shrieked.

The group ran over to her, watching the succubus matron cover her Yukki-Onna friend torn core with a jacket.

Mizore knelt next to her mother, timid and worried. "Mother...are you-?"

"Be...a good...woman...and mother, Mizore." Tsurara reached for her daughter under the jacket, barely able to scrape her finger nails across her daughter's stockings at her knee.

Mizore took it tenderly, simply nodding.

Her hands felt so warm...so unnaturally warm...

"This is all my fault," Kurumu shook her head, unable to get over the mounting guilt of her selfish acts back in Vegas.

Tsurara slight grin was haunting, the normally ivory pale skin around her turning pink in an unnatural way.

"You...silly girl, a woman...protects all of...her children, especially...her friend's...daughter with her...life."

"My blood!" Tsukune screams, drawing everyone's attention. "I can help her!"

Rushing to her side, Tsukune's brown eyes are hopeful, looking down at her with expectation, "I can help you."

The light in her eyes dimmed, giving her slight smile appear sad. "You already have...Tsukune..."

Before he could lower himself to her neck, Tsukune saw the smallest shake of her head. It was the most curious thing.

"If...you were...only a little...older," She chuckled, touching his face.

Leaning her head forward, she touched his lips with her own.

Tsukune blushed, realizing what it must look like to everyone around him, knowing that they knew her and him had been intimate not so long ago.

"Fix...it, Tsukune," She wheezed, her breath rattling, her lips flecked with blood. "Help...our...people..."

"I'll do what I-"

Tsurara's body spasmed, jerked tight till what was left of her became rigid like stone.

Tsukune didn't say another word. Locking his lips onto her neck, he felt the need to give her his blood, empty whatever he could to save her...

...but it wouldn't come out.

He couldn't inject his life's essence into Tsurara.

His body wouldn't obey him.

"It's...not working!" He screamed at himself, looking at his body as if it betrayed him.

"It won't, Aono Tsukune,"

Two people, the Snow Priestess and the Headmaster where there, staring at him behind the throng of people.

"Because, Tsukune," The Priestess's hollow voice reached to him like a dirge, "She's already dead."

The young Aono man didn't have to look down at his hands to confirm the Priestess's claim.


	29. Ch 29 Welcome To Witch's Knoll

Take What Is Yours

Ch 29 Welcome To Witch's Knoll

In the distance, Sekitan Ria eyed the lonely mansion perched on a high hill overlooking approximately five thousand acres of sunflowers. It was quaint and rustic, overgrown with vines and left in neglected shambles. The locals rumored that this place was haunted by evil witches that stole the curious and unwary, making ghosts of their souls and getting revenge on anyone who would tempt the curse of Witch's Knoll.

She had a cure for curses.

Behind her, semi trucks lined up, some beeping as they backed next to their respective spots to start unloading bulldozers, excavators, next to lots and lots of dump trucks.

Looking at the crew who were operating the equipment, she could sense the trepidation and fear wafting off of them in waves.

She was paying them top dollar to be here. No one wanted to be part of the crew that made the first attempt at this accursed site, but times were hard and she was more than quadrupling their wages.

Even with that, though, she had to pull in favors and demand assistance from another source.

"We are ready to patrol, Ria-sama," A voice called from behind her shoulder.

Looking over her shoulder, giving her hair a flick to get a better look at the flak vested men with sub machine guns tucked at their arm pits, ammo fitted in pouches along with grenades, and communication pieces niched into their ears, she gave an approving nod.

"Call everyone here."

The leader of a group of two dozen called out with a loud whistle, circling his hand over his head in a 'round up' gesture, used to have everyone gather around him.

Ria waited patiently, her back turned to them as she faced the unending fields of sunflowers.

As soon as the rustling of bodies stopped, she spoke loudly, clearly.

"I know you all have fears about this place," She turned to them, catching their eyes with her own. Most of the time, she was playful, flirty, mocking or sadistically hurtful, but this was a different. Sekitan Ria was not here for any of her normal pleasures but to do what came naturally to all vampires who have been taken from against their will.

She was here for revenge, Tsukune's revenge.

"When I did research about this site, I heard all the stories of how this place came alive, creatures began to crawl over the earth like ants on a hill. Bright pillars of light shot up into the heavens and, all at once, it became silent. Before five years ago, this place was haunted, supposedly by a vicious witch that stole little children and tore the hearts out of lovers or tourists who dared to enter."

Fixing her gloves by her elbow, she took her time, trying to get the proper wording out of her blood red lips.

"Rumors, superstitions, curses, old wive's tales...they're all either true or falsehoods meant to be believed until disproved. That is why you are all here."

The men still didn't look too eager to participate.

"After you all are done, this place is going to be the next landfill," She began tersely, gathering their attention again. "I want every sunflower, blade of grass, ivy, tree, rock and rubble over turned and made into this city's personal commode. Do you understand me?"

Heads nodded, even a few verbal 'hai' were given for confirmation.

"Oh, don't look so glum. This shouldn't take but a few weeks," She flicked her wrists in the general direction of the extended garden. "You have security here plus a fifty million yen insurance policy. Should something happen to any of you, your family's will be well compensated. So that has to account for something, hmm?"

Heads all around agreed, although begrudgingly.

"There is one more thing, gentlemen."

They waited to hear more.

"If anyone finds an old bag of bones buried that looks to have been a witch at one time, bring it to me and I will personally ensure your retirement."

This brought a mixture of fear and excitement through the throng.

"Why would you want something like that, Ria-sama?" A man asked, curious.

She grinned malevolently, "I want to take the skull and place it in the middle of a community toilet I plan to have created here."

The scent of fear became thick with her sadistic want.

"Now get your equipment off those trucks. I expect you all to start tearing this place down in the next thirty minutes."

"You heard her!" A foremen shouted.

Men began to move, tearing at chains, starting engines, and planning which direction to start first to decimate what was once one of the curiosities called Witch's Knoll.

"Ria-sama," A man with binoculars called out.

Turning her head, she didn't speak but gave her a sliver of her attention. "Speak."

"There seems to be people by the mansion."

Now she was curious.

Squaring herself to look in the general direction of the decrepit mansion, she quietly grumbled that she did need to use binoculars to see such a far distance.

Human technology definitely provided a serious advantage over her normal vampiric sight.

At first, it took her a while for the electronic binoculars to zero in on the distances of over a mile and focus it appropriately for her vision. Steadying her hand, she was able to get a part of the mansion in sight.

The upper left wing, if her guess was complete.

She scanned carefully, making small movements and widening her angle by the smallest fractions. Panning left and then right, it took her a while to see a face in the upper windows.

They appeared to be homeless or just squatters.

"Hmph," She huffed, disappointed it wasn't one of Mikogami's lackeys here for her to personally enjoy dismembering. "They're nothing."

"I see," The sergeant amended, "I think my men and I can go down there to get the group with the priestess out before the workers get there-"

"Priestess?" Ria refocused her attention at the mansion, even going as far as to take up the same standing position the scout had, seeing that he had a different plane of sight than she did at this distance.

She saw them there...

A woman wearing a glaring white and blue ceremonial robes stood silently before a group of four.

That woman looked familiar, but it was the back of the heads of her party that definitely made her hum with approval. Three women and a man, all except one she could tell who they were by their ridiculous outfits.

Ruby, Kurumu, Yukari, and...

...one of them was missing...

Oh, there she was, Mizore, tucked by the Priestess's side. That's right, the Snow Priestess she remembered.

What were they doing there?

_In fact, if they were there, did that mean...Who was that man?_

There was something suspiciously familiar about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

Trying to jog her memory as to why they were there, delicious scenarios started to churn in her vindictive mind when the Snow Priestess looked squarely at her.

She balked, surprised the Priestess had, indeed, found out.

Smiling back at Ria, the priestess said something and gestured towards the man then to her.

When he turned around, Ria's heart stopped inside her buxom chest, catching her breath.

"Tsukune?"

xxx

"I think you're going to have company soon, Tsukune," The Snow Priestess called, holding a dejected Mizore at her side. "I should be leaving. My people need me."

The very air seemed heavy with the collective loss of Mizore's mother.

Tsukune walked over to the mother of his unborn child, taking her in his arms and holding her to him tightly. "I...wasn't strong enough."

Mizore nodded her head, saying nothing. Fingers tangling in his shirt, her broken voice did little to ease his own suffering. "I need to...tell my husband...and children about their grandmother. Ageha-san is already there, making preparations, but she's going to be lost if I don't-"

"I know, Mizore-chan," Tsukune kissed her cheek, pulling away to look in her eyes. "We'll be fine."

Mizore nodded, looking past him to see Kurumu's broken frown, Yukari's red puffy eyes still weepy, and Ruby's stoic face plastered into a mask of obedience.

Eying Ruby the longest, she tugged on Tsukune's shirt, "Don't blame her, Tsukune."

Tsukune was silent, his jaw ticking at what Mizore was getting at.

"You have a lot to do, Mizore-chan." He stroked her pretty hair, giving her his best smile. "Come back to us when you can. I have a lot of work to do here."

Sharing their mutual grief, Mizore decided Tsukune had to sort through this in his own way. Turning to Kurumu, the succubus wasn't as subtle Tsukune was.

Burying Mizore into her embrace, Kurumu and Mizore simply held each other till the blunette said, "You're getting the best mother in the whole world. I swear to you."

Mizore chuckled quietly, her smooth cheeks breaking at Kurumu's attempt to cheer her up. "Second best mother in the world."

The two laughed till they hugged each other tighter.

Whispering in Kurumu's ear, Mizore said her final goodbye to her friend and rival. "Take care of him."

Kurumu felt like blushing, but her mind wasn't on Tsukune as it was for her friend.

Twirling her fingers into her aqua blue locks, she simply nodded.

"We have to go, Mizore." The Priestess called out, her eyes far away.

"Hai," She walked over to her village leader's side and held her hand.

In a misting of snow, Mizore and the Priestess were gone.

xxx

"It's...him?" Ria blinked back her shock, unsure if she should believe her eyes or not.

Big diesel engines began to rev behind her, distracting her.

"Hold!" She called out to the foreman, making him repeat over the radio and signaling for over twenty heavy construction vehicles to shut down.

"Ria-sama?" her security guard team leader inquired cautiously. "Your orders?"

Ria's hand was already on her phone, her fingers poised to dial her father, but she stopped herself. Stuffing the mobile device back into her purse, she peered through the binoculars again, seeing the Priestess disappear with Mizore.

Something wasn't right.

Considering what to do, she thought it would look horrible upon herself if she was wrong about telling her father that the man she saw 'looked' like Tsukune but wasn't actually him.

She needed to confirm it.

"Everyone, standby." She heard the foreman already relaying her order as the security guard captain kept in step next to her.

"What are your order, Ria-sama?"

"Take me to the mansion."

xxx

Kurumu was worried for Tsukune after witnessing Tsurara's death. Just like herself, he took the brunt of the blame when Mizore's mother died in his arms.

_"I...wasn't strong enough."_

That's what he said. She felt it, too. They all did. Everyone had done their best to protect Kurumu from Mikogami's henchmen, but, in the end, Tsurara was lost because Kurumu couldn't keep her emotions in check back in Vegas.

Even after everyone told her it wasn't her fault, there was no denying who started the ball rolling.

Mikogami and The Snow Priestess appeared soon after, both of their forlorn expressions stoic. So many things were said, so many realities made clear, but now there was only one thing left to do...

She followed Tsukune because it was all she could think to do.

...and that was to move forward.

Holding the bottle of 'justice' in her hand, she shifted it from one hand to another nervously. It wasn't clear what the effects were, but Yukari had warned her to NOT drink it until she sat her down and explain the details in full.

Right now, all she had was time with Tsukune, Ruby, and Yukari.

So, why not?

Ruby turned her head to the west, her brows narrowed. "Master."

Tsukune's shoulders raised to the sound of her voice, possibly restraining from saying something scathing.

Kurumu was the only one who didn't look in the same direction Ruby had. Her azure eyes were locked on Tsukune's profile. She had a feeling as to why he was upset at Ruby, but now was not the time.

She would try and talk with him later.

A black sedan pulled up to the mansion along its only dirt road, crunching gravel under its tires. Stopping right in front of them, the driver and passenger doors opened along with the rear doors, each with a uniformed man with a readied side arm that made Tsukune realize who they were immediately.

He had seen them enough times when he visited Fairy Tale.

"Stand behind me," He gestured, walking up to the front of the car to look through the windshield into the dark brown eyes of the woman who had yet to exit.

His friends did as instructed, knowing who was also the visiting intruder.

With the help of one of her mercenary soldiers, Ria exited the luxury car with a grand smile.

"Welcome to Witch's Knoll, everyone. Now leave before I kill you."


	30. Ch 30 Agreed

Take What Is Yours

Ch 30 Agreed

Click, click, click.

Ria's guards released the safeties off their weapons, training the end of their firearms towards their targets. The eldest daughter of Shuzen Issa was pleased that one of her victims expressed the right amount of fear and respect she deserved, like the little witch Yukari, but everyone else seemed to be prepared to receive the onslaught of lead should the whim strike her.

This day held a lot of promise, except she needed to still prove one major event: Was this man before her Aono Tsukune.

She had to know.

Each monster waited to move, to break the tension that could cause one of the humans to pull the trigger and put an end to another life.

Tsukune would put a stop to it right here, right now.

"It's good to see you too, Ria," he gave her a small smile, resting his hands on his hips.

It still bothered her that he looked exactly as he had, right before he was ripped apart in Moka's arms, torn with bits of bone and viscera covering the Youkai Courtroom floor like a French abattoir. No vampire could have survived that...

Ria inhaled delicately, testing the air through her sensitive nose.

...could they?

The soft padding drew their attention to the raven haired woman with a worn lavender and purple long dress with two hair tails sticking out of the sides of her pretty head. In her hands appeared to be a withered stick with an odd gem in the middle.

"This is no longer your property, Sekitan Ria. If I remember correctly, it was given to me back at Youkai. You're trespassing."

"Oh me, oh my, Toujou Ruby, how lovely to see you," Ria held her arms under her breasts, smiling malevolently at the witch. "It takes time to process such documents through the title company. Normally about six weeks with a Letter Of Interest and after the court has recorded the exchange. It really is a long and trying process, but, in the meantime, I decided to do a little 'cleaning up'. I hope you don't mind me doing a little leveling, debris removal, and trashing out all this wasteland to make it into something that generates a positive cash flow. Landfills do create a lucrative revenue if handled properly."

Ruby hitched her breath at the thought her home was about to be turned into a garbage heap.

"By the way, where did you bury that old hack you called a master? I would like to use her skin on the community commode. I found it would only be proper considering how close to nature you witches seem to like things."

Ruby's knuckles whitened at the thought that this vampire would desecrate the dead body of her beloved master.

"I'm not sure, exactly, but why don't we discuss it inside the mansion," Ruby grinned maliciously, sprouting her wings out her back threateningly. "How about over a glass of tea? I remember just how you like it."

Now it was Ria's turn to look hostile. The mention of tea only brought back the humbling reminder that she had another weakness she was not yet fully knowledgeable in.

It wouldn't do to have a vulnerability exposed.

"Oh boys!" Kurumu called out, running her fingers through her hair and giving her svelte frame a practiced bounce. "I'm Kurono Kurumu! It's nice to meet you, yahoo!"

All the eyes of Ria's guard turned to her, cautious if she was going to do anything...

"Charm," Kurumu's azure eyes become hypnotically beautiful, drawing in the male humans to her like an adolescent love.

...stupid.

Harden criminals, professional law enforcement, and military pushed their weapons back into their holsters and rushed to the young succubus, nearly fighting each other to get her attention.

"Kurumu-chan! Marry me!"

"No, me, Kurumu-hime! I'll give anything to you, just talk to me!"

"Just let me touch them, take a picture of them, anything you want, Kurumu-sama!"

Kurumu gave a little sashay and bounced, giggled and cooed shyly at their attention. Turning her side profile to Tsukune, she gave him a little wink. She saved them.

_I owe you one, Kurumu-chan_, Tsukune thought to himself, before turning his attention back to a seething Ria.

"Get over here now! That's an order!" The Vampiress hissed, however, despite the very possible death in their future, with Kurumu's charm her demands fell on deaf ears.

"I've never seen you get so worked up over something, Ria," Tsukune walked up to her, tilting his head just so to catch her smoldering brown eyes. She had always been tall, especially with heels, but Tsukune always had that extra inch in height. The woman exuded power out of every pore of her. She maintained a constant control, even if she was losing. For some reason, Tsukune's calm unnerved her, as if he was the one watching her instead of her watching him.

Was she actually the victim here?

Leaning against the car, he put his hands on his lap and waited. He was hardly threatening, not like he ever was to anyone he ever talked to, but there was a subtle change, a calmness and serenity that realize this very well could be her dead brother revived yet changed.

"Are you...really back, Tsukune?" Ria asked quietly from the side of her mouth, not really ready to turn her back on the small harem who seemed prepared to pounce her should she do so.

Tsukune had always been a nervous boy, afraid of his own shadow and even more afraid of disappointing those he cared for or feared. The man next to her was so calm, so comfortably accepting of his situation that she was sure there was very little she could do to change that.

It made her doubt that he really was Tsukune, yet...

She took another whiff of the air, knowing that his scent was very much like Tsukune's.

...it had this softness, like snow and frost.

To answer her, he simply opened his arms, not so much for a hug, but to give himself for her to inspect personally.

Taking his offer, she approached warily, seeing his witch with her wand in her hand ready to use it should Ria make one wrong move. Reaching out with one manicured hand, Ria pressed against Tsukune shoulder, feeling the meat of his build under his shirt. He had become denser, slightly broader around his neck and back. His eyes still held that wide eye'd warmth that made her want to dismiss him as an imbecile, but there was this deep seeded sadness in them, this vulnerable trial that he had endured that made him seem older yet accepting. Even with that exposed core to his soul, there was an undeniable lining of power...

...a very strong power.

What had Akasha said at one time?

Shinso...

No, did he really have it? Was it really possible?

Leaning closer, she took another sniff, right where his neck and clavicle met.

"It _is_ you!" Ria's brown eyes widened, a rare and beautiful smile graced her lips. It was probably one of the first times he had seen her smile in happiness.

"Hi, Ria,"

Her embrace was also one of the very few times she had ever held him, or anyone, in a way that didn't have some kind of hidden agenda or sexual intent. It was nice.

"We have to tell father! He'll be so happy to see you! Come! We have to go now!" Ria released him, pulling on his hand and looking so much like a school girl eager to show her parent a new friend she had just met.

Tsukune didn't know she could even be this honest. It was almost cute.

"Ria, we will, but first there are things that need to be done." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, gesturing to his friends who were still waiting to see if they're about to be attacked or not.

The pretty smile that made her look so appealing quickly faded. "No, Tsukune."

Slapping his arm off her shoulder, she pointed at him heatedly, "This is my revenge for you! Her," She pointed to Ruby, "and her master killed you! They denied father, Mother Akasha, and everyone who came to save you. So, no, Tsukune, I will not forgive them or _her_."

Ruby exhaled quietly, watching the exchange between Ria and Tsukune, hoping that he could save what she held so preciously to her heart.

"I'm very flattered, Ria," He offered easily, not taking the bait to get upset as she had. "I'm surprised that you would go to such an extent to avenge my death. I honestly thought you hated me."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked away, more out of her own disappointment at how right he was. "I did hate you, Tsukune, but things have changed. I used to enjoy thinking about how I could get you and Moka in my claws, tear away any sense of pride and security you had within yourselves or with each other, and simply watch you suffer as I ground you both under my heel."

Tsukune didn't deny that is exactly what she wanted to do with him and his ex mate. Her far away look in her eyes, the content grin that made her look other worldly beautiful and dangerous was all the proof he needed.

"And now?"

Closing her eyes, she shrugged a dainty shoulder, looking away uncomfortably. "I missed you."

Tsukune gave her an accepting smile.

"Don't look at me like that, Aono Tsukune," Ria sniffed indignantly, "I'm not one of your little harem groupies. I'm not going to fall to your feet, thanking you and begging for your affection. You are still lower than dirt to me and are not worthy of the family Shuzen, but," her brief vulnerability tinted her cheeks prettily, "You are now MY family and if anyone is going to crush you, destroy your spirit, and see you are put at the lowest level of humiliation it's going to be me." Poking his chest with a long manicured nail, she got within an inch of his face to growl, "Got that?"

Tsukune held up his hands, still unaffected by her threat. "I do."

It didn't sit well with her that he wasn't taking her position on his future humiliation seriously, but, just for now, she would overlook it.

She really was glad he was alive.

"Ria, would you tell your people to go. You're about to tear up my property, not hers."

Ria blinked, remembering back to the courtroom where he had mentioned how he wanted to fix this place for his witch concubine. He always was as soft in the heart as he was in the head for those he cared about.

"So...are you saying the deed is to be signed over to you, not Toujou Ruby?" Ria asked carefully, ensuring as to who this land was going to belong to once all the I's were dotted and T's crossed.

"Yes, Ria."

It didn't surprise him that the dark haired vampire beauty would put business of the family before the request of another, even if they were family. He knew enough to know her mind always worked and schemed, it was what she was great at.

Facing him with her arms cross under her generous breasts, she zeroed her unflinching gaze into his soft, brown eyes.

"And where do your loyalties lie, brother dear?"

The answer came out easily, simply, almost as a reaction more than a reply. "To my family, Ria."

While the answer sufficed, she knew enough about a play on words to fully trust what he considered family and what he did not. Ria had always viewed Tsukune as weak and in desperate need to put his humanity before his vamipre self, something that had always been his strength and his weakness.

Still, it was good enough to do as he asked. "Very well, I'll have the law firm push the process and have it sent to you as soon as possible. On one condition."

Shaking his head, Tsukune was not ready to deal with her many forms of extortion, but if it was something within reason he may do it to simply smooth things over.

"I want to be the one to bring you to our Lord Father."

The demand was actually a very simple one.

"Agreed."


	31. Ch 31 Two Meetings

Take What Is Yours

Ch 31 Two Meetings

"I've always known you had simple tastes, Tsukune but this is...well, very you."

Ria kept her tone polite, but it didn't take almost ten years of knowing her to detect the sarcasm in her voice. She was used to the best in everything, from service, to living arrangements, to money and in lovers. Speaking of that...

"If I remember correctly, you certainly didn't find me so simple when we first met."

The turn of conversation drew her attention away from the decrepit looking mansion back to him, her dark eyes light with amusement. "Oh, brother dear, you were simply a means to an end. At the beginning, at the _very_ beginning, I thought you a complete and absolute simpleton, just the sort my naive little sister would be attracted to. At that point, showing Moka that she had been utterly foolish into introducing you to the house of Shuzen was about as indecent as a vampire could do, considering your birth race. It was only when you _refused me_ and said," Ria's normally sultry feminine voice hissed darkly, "That you believed my _sister, _Akashiya Moka, superior to _me,_ that I really noticed you."

"Thank you."

"It was _not_ a compliment, little brother." Ria's fingers curled into tight fists, her dark eyes glowering heatedly at him.

"Perhaps, but that was then." Tsukune absorbed her smoldering anger, then turned to reach a three foot thick vine snaking its way through the brick and mortar of an outer wall, "Things have changed, and I seemed to have done alright. I know you've never approved and still don't."

"Naturally," She agreed, lifting the hem of her long dress to carefully step over another thick knot of roots and foliage.

"But I would appreciate it if you didn't make fun of my new home." Looking at the over growth simply run amok, Tsukune sighed, knowing only that there would be many, many long days ahead of him trying to clear this mess.

Ria took in her own appraisal of the condition of the fields and the integrity of the structure in front of her. The vines weaving in and out of the walls seemed to be the only thing holding it up in place.

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you at all, Itotou-chan," Ria answered airily, running her finger over a siding that had splintered with decay and rot. "It's actually quite quaint. You forget, we don't see things through a human's narrow minded vision of having everything seem new and pristine. The crumbling wood, the smell of dust and mildew, the dark cavernous halls and broken glass...it's all very charming."

"I'm sure it is," Tsukune answered more to agree with her so she could let him be.

"Master," Ruby kept her distance a few steps back, just a little to his left. Yukari followed her sempai's stride to her right. "It would appear there are several people hiding inside the mansion. What shall I do with them?"

Tsukune eye'd an open window on the top floor, trying to see if anyone was looking back at him. He didn't see them, but he could smell their presence. "See they are taken care of."

"That's very bold of you, Tsukune," Ria grinned, her approval making her voice rise, "I'm impressed. Whatever happened during your rebirth has changed you. I want to watch, if you don't mind."

Hands on his hips, he glanced over to Kurumu, who was keeping Ria's guards busy with her teasing. Beckoning for her, she rushed up to him with her hands behind her back, offering a cute tilt of her head, "Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you see that the people who are living here have something to eat, drink, and a proper room to sleep? Don't scare or hurt them, just see that they aren't going to cause any trouble."

Kurumu nodded eagerly, simply happy to return to her friend's need, especially since there was now that chance...that very, very slight chance that her and Tsukune could become...more.

Ria scoffed in disappointment. "You always were boring, little brother. Very well. We need to leave, our Lord Father will be ecstatic to see you."

"Alright," he turned to Kurumu, seeing the worry eat at her, "I need to leave soon. There are a few things I need to see about."

"Ah," Kurumu blinked her large azure eyes, her small fist coming to her chest at the idea he was going away...

...again.

"I'm sure it won't take that long, Tsukune-kun," She skipped over to him, wrapping his arm with her own, "If you want, we can grab something really quick and drop it off for them," She offered as a compromise, her voice becoming thin with worry. "There's no need for you to go wherever alone..."

Kurumu made a point of staring directly at Ria vehemently, "...with _her_."

Ria's growing smile wasn't pleasant, "Your jealousy is well placed, but, I promise you, should I _use_ him there will be enough to enjoy after I'm done...for now."

Kurumu's fingers dug deep into Tsukune's shirt, pulling him protectively close.

It was Tsukune's soft voice next to her ear that made her relax, "It's fine, Kurumu. I have a few things I need to take care of with my vampire family. I have to keep you all safe. I'm just tying up some loose ends. After that, I simply want to come back to our home."

"Our?" Kurumu squeaked, a warm flush of pleasure coursing through her. As a succubus, for her Destined One to claim there was an abode that would nest them both signaled something more than a living facility.

It represented a sense of intimacy.

Still, seeing how down right triumphant Ria stared down at her, she couldn't help but feel Tsukune was walking into another trap he wouldn't be able to get himself out of. "I don't trust her."

He chuckled, cupping her face with his hands, "Neither do I."

"Then why are you going with her? Stay here with us," She tightened her fingers deeper in his shirt, chewing her lip, "with me."

"I have obligations, Kurumu-chan." His long arms wrapped around her tenderly, "Don't worry, I don't want to be apart from any of you any longer than I have to, but there are things that I need to do by myself. I'll be back soon."

"Last time you said you'd come back to see me you were killed," Kurumu mumbled unhappily. She had been updated on a few things, one of which was how Tsukune had been literally ripped apart by Mikogami at a court that involved Moka and her family. Tsukune had tried to tell her that Mikogami didn't kill him, but that it was he who ended up killing himself.

That confused her greatly.

Eventually, she accepted that Tsukune was being humble and protective, like he always was, and just wanted to keep things to himself. Kurumu had her doubts as to his story and even with the last discussion betwen Mikogami and the Snow Priestess, she was even more wary of those two and their games. She had no clue as to why he would have to stand trial at all! Why he was in court with her was still a black mystery that he refused to talk about no matter how much she prodded. When she tried to get the information out of Ruby or Yukari, they only responded that they were not allowed to talk about it. Tsukune had requested it so there was no use in asking anymore.

It made her fear he was becoming more like his dark hearted inlaw, Sekitan Ria.

Ria liked that he had kept things from his friends, especially what Moka did. It was a sign that he was growing into a true vampire.

Stumped and frustrated, she only knew it had to be something so severe that it had to border the unimaginable. Deciding his life was more important than what happened, she tried to convince him again that his life was more important than any silly details that kept him away from her.

She had just got him back, damn it!

"No one else is going to get killed, Kurumu," Tsukune pierced her with his solemn promise, his normally easy tone turning dark. "I swear it as long as I'm alive that no one else in my family is going to get hurt. No one."

To Kurumu, the promise was as sincere as any vow, but it lacked one thing she needed to hear.

"Then who's going to protect you?"

"It's not a perfect world, Kurumu-chan," Leaning down, he kissed her cheek. "You've hurt enough for me all these years, don't deny me to do the same for you."

That simple touch, those ghosting lips grazing her skin so honestly made her heart race, but it still didn't sooth her confidence that he wasn't going to do anything stupid.

"Just take me with you. No, take all of us! Witch's Knoll will still be here when we come back! Ruby is strong and you've yet to really fully use your power! You might need help and-"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're absolutely adorable when you worry?"

Kurumu mewled, simpering and whimpered that he was saying all the right things to compliment her but still get out of keeping him safe. The mixed emotions were just confusing her.

"I don't want to be adorable," She pouted, looking up at him hopefully through her long dark lashes, "Well, no more than I already am. Please, Tsukune? Stay with us?"

"It seems like I'm always disappointing you, Kurumu-chan," He pulled her close, letting him take in her warmth, her softness and tender affection.

A sliver of pain reminded him how much it took him back to better times at the Academy.

Her broken exhale made him feel like a total bastard.

Looking down, he didn't have to see the dark shadows hood her eyes, masking her pain.

"I promise I'll be back."

"Okay, Tsukune."

Quickly, so fast he would have missed it had he not felt it, Kurumu reached up on her toes, kissed his lips, and left his arms to cool at her departure. He watched her hold herself, quickly walking towards the front of the mansion to do as he had asked.

Ruby followed her with her eyes. Yukari and the elder witch exchanged a glance before turning their attention to Tsukune. "Yukari can be here to keep an eye on Kurumu and Witch's Knoll, Master. I will go with you."

"No," Tsukune snapped, making Ria jump pleasantly at his sharp bark.

Ruby's face remained unafraid and undeterred. "I am your servant, Master. There is no other place that I should be than by your side to protect and serve you."

"Then your obligations and duties are in conflict, Ruby," Tsukune growled, looking down at Ruby's cheek because he couldn't stand to look in her eyes, "I am telling you to not follow me, yet you are disobeying me. You say you want to do as I say, yet you ignored my orders when I give them."

Grabbing her chin to she could see the broiling rage in them, he whispered loud enough for only her to hear, "You say you want to be my servant, but how can you when you're so bad at it?"

Had he speared her heart and took her life from her, he would have received the same look.

Large violet eyes, those who had thought he was in love with, those that had looked at him with such kindness, gentleness, warmth and loyalty couldn't have been crushed and smothered by harsher words.

In those eyes, he could see something very special break. It was almost as if he hated her.

She couldn't even give a proper rebuttal to such degradation.

"I am leaving alone. Is that understood?"

Ruby's lips tried to move, but no words could escape. Nodding her head, she lowered her eyes guiltily, unable to meet his disapproval.

"Let's go, Ria."

xxx

"Ruby, sempai?" Yukari stood next to her elder, seeing the dark sedan roll away with her master within it but without her.

Wiping her violet eyes, she lifted her chin, feeling her purpose roll away, everything she tried to do well get further and further from her sight without any chance of it ever coming back.

It hurt beyond words.

"I'm fine, Yukari-chan." She shuddered a breath, forcing herself to remain calm...

...calm...

...calm.

Slender fingers slipped over Ruby's bare shoulders as Kurumu pulled Ruby into a sisterly embrace. Kurumu had no way to comprehend what was going on. How could she? She was, like always, left out of the loop, purposely for her sake for some reason.

Why? She wasn't sure, but it had to be something very, very life changing.

They were sheltering her from Moka, that she could be sure of, but why? What would it mean to just fill her in on everything that was going on when there was so much hovering over her head without any sense of comprehension?

This was like the Academy all over again.

She loved all her friends, deeply and selfishly, but when it came down to try and take her seriously she was just expected to take anything that fell her way and go with the flow. Tsukune knew of her feelings, but she was taken for granted while he and Moka lived out every fantasy possible, because he just couldn't see past her flowing pink hair, soulful green eyes, long slender legs, just everything that made her his kind of woman.

Kurumu knew she had the tools, every male from boy to toothless old man of any race or monstrosity couldn't look at her without lust. So, if she had the goods, the love, the need, and the desire...what was missing?

Ruby was trying to keep herself strong. Kurumu could see her try to keep her head high, her normally pale cheeks fight the color from turning splotchy and break down right there in front of both of them.

Only her pride kept her from falling to her knees and weeping like a little girl.

Just like she had, back then in Vegas.

She knew why Tsukune was angry at Ruby, it wasn't hard to figure out. Yet, it confused her about one thing above all: Why wasn't he angry at her? Wasn't it her that started the whole ball rolling? Was it her that made both her mother and Tsurara feel the need to protect her when she should have just accepted Mizore's pregnancy with a friendly smile and hug?

Wasn't it her fault?

Looking at Ruby, she knew exactly what she was withering inside her broken heart. The elder witch was more subtle, more graceful, and more mature about her dejection but it was just as real.

"Let's go, everyone," Ruby willed her tears to stop falling, to pull her shoulders back, and let the wind flowing over the vast fields of sunflowers lift her spirits.

The familiar flow of nature and earth centered her, stilling her worries and giving her back her focus.

"My Master has a duty for us."

Yukari, taking Ruby's hand and Kurumu, slipping her arm around Ruby's waist, walked in step towards the large, heavy doors of their new home.

xxx

Tsukune's thoughtful brown eyes gazed out the window, lost in a sea of turmoil.

To Ria, it was an attractive sight. It was time to make him know so.

"You have a lot to answer for, Tsukune." She called out softly from her side of the limo. "Our Lord Father will want to know what has happened to you."

Nodding, he still kept his eyes looking out and past the passing lamps, signs, fleeting cars and scenery. Everything was there, just as he remembered it, but his heart and mind were a million miles away.

"We're having a Vampire's Council Meeting later on tonight," She crossed her legs, leaning one arm across the back of the bench chair she was sitting on. "There's a few things our Lord Father wants to bring up concerning the Academy, Akasha, and Moka."

With this last mention of his alumni, the woman who had lifted him to such heights and helped him fall to such depths and her mother, Ria now had his attention.

"Oh me, Oh, my," Ruby red lips turned up knowingly, "is that where your head is? Thinking of her?"

"I will always think of her, Ria," Tsukune answered easily, honestly, "I can't just forget about someone I've been in love with. It's just not in me."

Sighing, Ria made a noise of agreement. "Yes, unfortunately, that's very true. It's very sweet and very sensitive of you, but are you going to let Moka still control you, little brother? Please tell me you've moved past that mutt carrying disgrace and seen the light of being a single man again."

It was like watching the second hand move on a clock. From the way he swallowed, to the way he expelled his air and took on a look at her as if to confirm what he was afraid he already knew.

"So...it is true."

It wasn't a question.

"You didn't know?" Ria wanted to laugh, she almost did. Covering her mouth least she begin to mock his pain, Moka's eldest sister just shook her head, letting her dark locks ripple with the excited movement.

"I had my suspicions, but they were not confirmed."

"Oh, ho, ho, brother dear," Sliding next to him, Ria pulled his cheek to look into her vindictive eyes. "Not only is it confirmed, it is going to be heard from her very own lips."

He didn't want to confirm it. Yes, he knew...right before that terrible pain, that pull on each and every part of him that wanted to kill, to rend, to just decimate everything, everyone, anything...

...but he couldn't.

There was that chance, that one...small, miniscule possibility...

...but now...

"How?"

Licking her lips, Tsukune could see her, Sekitan Ria, practically salivating.

"Easy, brother dear, it's on Gin's dirty little website," She answered breathlessly, becoming mildly aroused at the sight of emotion touching those all too calm brown eyes of his, "and we're going to play it after everyone is gathered."

Long, endless seconds seem to pass before Tsukune blinked, exhaled slowly, as if a small bit of his soul had, for some unfathomable reason, hoped that it had been a mistake.

"Fine," Tsukune's fist clenched under his chin, "I can't wait to see our Lord Father. It looks like it's going to be an interesting night."

Ria felt a stirring inside her that hadn't been moved in a long time. She knew whatever was going to happen tonight, was going to change their lives forever.

"I have no doubt that it will, brother dear."

xxx

Kasumi had stopped waiting by the phone.

Now, she had been content cleaning a single spot in the kitchen. Over and over again, the cloth rubbed across the neat counter top until she felt it was time to turn the rag over to continue the process.

Her husband, Koji, had made her get out of the house after some worry. Eventually, what had got her out was for the two of them to go to Tsukune and Moka's home to see if there was any sign of them.

When they arrived, it only clamped down on her worries that something was wrong. Their porch had not been swept, no shoes waited for them outside the front porch, and, when they went inside using the spare key, the place was in utter disarray. There were weird stains on the floor, the bed wasn't made, a towel that must have been wet was dropped on the floor at the foot of their bed, along with some of Moka's clothes; a nice black dress, black heels, and some very racy underwear. Kasumi shoo'd her husband to go elsewhere while she tried to absorb what happened here and compare it to the phone call she last heard from Moka.

She was sure it was in this room when she figured out Moka's infidelity.

Finding something to do, Koji, peeked inside the fridge only to realize the food had gone bad, making him shut it quickly.

These were bad signs.

Yet, there were some signs that things may not be as bad as she expected.

Tsukune's clothes still hung in the closet, his underwear still folded next to his socks, and all of his toiletries were in place. Looking on the floor, a note must have been dropped.

_Tsukune, call me._

That was two weeks ago.

It had been over a month since her call with Moka and the last connection of what had become of her son. Even those those calls to Moka several times, but she never answered. She tried to call Tsukune, if only to confirm that his phone was still active. A part of her hoped that Moka and Tsukune had made up and just forgot to apologize and ease a mother's worry.

She wanted something, anything to at least confirm Tsukune was fine or, at least, someplace safe.

It was driving her crazy on the inside, but on the outside...

_Clean...just keep it clean...just...keep...cleaning..._

Knock, knock, knock...

Kasumi blinked, unable to accept the sound of her wooden door being rapped upon.

Knock, knock, knock...

Koji wouldn't knock, he'd just come in.

"Tsukune?"

Maybe he forgot the key. Maybe he had been lost. Maybe he found his way home and need her help!

Nearly running out of her slippers to dash to the door, Kasumi would have ripped the door from it's hinges.

"Tsuk-!"

Her son's name never made it past her lips.

Staring back at her was _that_ woman. Puffy, dark swells gave her normally pretty green eyes a cadaverous countenance. Lips and nose were splotchy, red from crying and being wiped over and over again. Long pink hair, that used to hold a perfect sheen when caught in the sun or moonlight appeared lifeless and dull.

"Moka," Kasumi bit the name out, chewing it as if something she'd rather spit out than greet.

What she had not expected was a second pair of green eyes, radiant, glowing skin, and a crown of gorgeous fuschia pink locks spilling over her shoulders like her younger counter part in her prime.

The family resemblance was uncanny.

"Mrs Aono," The elegant, regal voice called out, extending a scarlet red sleeve with a white gloved hand, catching Tsukune's mom off guard by the woman's very presence in an old victorian style dress.

"Yes?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," Lowering her head gently, giving an honor that was usually recieved by the elite of any species, she continued, "I am Moka's mother, Akasha. May we come in?"


	32. Ch 32 An Overdue Visit

Take What Is Yours

Ch 32

**Two Hours Earlier...**

Facing the door had been a challenge.

Moka had found her way back to her and Tsukune's apartment a week after her disastrous evening with Gin. Roaming the subways, she relived all of her wrongs committed one right after another in a nonstop cycle. She stopped every now and then at some of the local Fairy Tale safe houses that stored blood packets and any other needs for her vampire family. Eventually, her feet and her battered resolve built up enough courage to go back to the one place she had been the happiest in her life.

Her and Tsukune's apartment.

Opening the door to her home, she called out, just for the sake of saying something familiar, "I'm home."

No one responded.

It was the loneliest quiet she had ever heard.

Then it hit her, the smell of old trash, the lingering sweat and fluids on her bed sheets in her room across the hall.

The place where her joyful habitat she had felt the safest and most loved, now remained a derelict reminder of what her life with Tsukune was a month before his death.

She needed to clean...

...at once...

...in a hurry...

...now...

...but first...

Leaving the door open carelessly, she took off her own clothes, stripping to nothing to get rid of that scent, Gin's.

It was still all over her along with the smell of booze, smoke, and just...him. It had been with her wherever she went, a constant reminder of her failures. Now, even in her home, it had lingered just as strongly as any of the others.

This wasn't what she wanted to remember now, not ever.

Ever, ever, ever again...

She nearly seared her arm while turning on the bath, the water that was usually filtered with her herbs had run empty and it needed to be refilled. Replacing the pack, she waited for the slight greenish tint of the water to dilute the remaining water completely before sliding in and washing herself from head to toe.

Her bath lasted an hour or more. She wasn't sure and honestly didn't care.

Green eyes that once focused solely on her Tsukune dared not roam around the small room that held so many memories and mementoes of her departed husband. His toothbrush, stupid wintergreen mouthwash that he swore was better than her cinnamon, dental floss that he took too little of at a time, and even his comb that he insisted on keeping even though she told him over and over again that he needed to use a regular brush to keep that mop of hair of his in place.

If she looked at these things, she would break down again.

She couldn't do that. Even though she didn't know why she was so adamant of keeping herself together after everything that had happened. She didn't know why it even mattered to her to keep herself from falling apart again.

Was it her pride?

Her hand stopped in mid scrub, unable to see the pale limb she had just lathered with soap.

Even now, was she falling back to her old habits of putting personal appearances before anything else? If that was so, then what was she doing here?

She peeked.

There they were…all those little things she told herself she wouldn't see because she needed to keep herself together or else…

"…Tsukune…"

…she'd start crying again.

"…I…miss you…so much."

So she let her tears fall. What did appearances matter when what she had what was most precious to her was taken away?

Xxx

When that terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach had dulled, she dried herself off to reach for her brush. The movement was familiar, something more from habit and muscle memory than out of sheer need.

Right about now, Tsukune would be making some kind of noise outside the room. Either watching TV, talking to his mom over the phone, helping her prepare dinner, or getting the bed ready for them to go to enjoy their night together.

Silence welcomed her when she held her breath.

She felt like a stranger in her own home.

Or did she?

She took a slow, unsteady sniff of the air.

All of those annoying reminders still hovered in the air like a haze, but there was something…

…just…something…

…there.

It…reminded her of…what?

What other scent could make her stop like this? It was there, at the forefront of her mind but she couldn't remember. It hit her, like walking into a wall that was right in front of her.

It was his scent, Tsukune's. But where?

She scanned her and Tsukune's home...thinking there had to some something, somewhere...just anything to remind her that he had existed in this place that had once created out of love and hope, promises made of happiness and joy...

It was there, but it was slight...so, so slight.

"Tsukune?"

Tilting her head up, she took a long inhale.

_There_, she thought suddenly, nearly dashing into the laundry room.

It was so mild, but it was definitely _his_ scent, _her_ Tsukune's.

Curling up into a ball over the dirty laundry she had yet to wash back then, she smothered herself in their clothes, reminding her senses of a time when their scents intermingled, when this was as commonplace as breathing.

They were one.

"Tsukune..." She whined into his shirt, crying her heart out as she had so many times before.

This was all she had left of him. There wasn't any husband to go to, no pride to rely on, no family to seek out...wait, wasn't this shirt the one his mother gave him?

His mom...Aono Kasumi.

Moka blinked, realizing there was still something she had to do...

...needed to do.

Chewing her lip, she staggered away her precious scents to the bathroom to prepare a quick bath, but was stopped by a very familiar figure and scent closing the door behind her.

"Hello, mother."

Bloodriver Akasha acknowledged her daughter's greeting with one of her own.

"Moka, You shouldn't leave the door open. There are those out there who would take advantage of your vulnerability."

It wasn't hard for Moka to figure out that her mother would be seeking out her. After visiting the safe houses, all Akasha had to do was follow the breadcrumbs that would eventually lead her back to her and Tsukune's home.

Moka couldn't help but notice that she was also barring her from leaving the laundry room. Saying nothing, she continued to stare wordlessly at her Oka-sama.

"Do you know why I'm here, Moka?" Akasha inquired politely, gently.

It was all she could do to ask in a tender voice to her daughter.

Moka looked away guiltily. She was hoping it had nothing to do with what had happened those many days ago. Keeping quiet, Moka decided not to incriminate herself if she didn't have to.

"The council meeting is tonight, and your presence, as well as my own, are required."

Moka didn't move the long stray lock that fell between her eyes. As much as she tried to prepare herself for more consequences to her unending trail of stupid decisions, she was not looking forward to one where her disgrace would be made public in front of the people she had been brought up with.

Had her shame know no end?

"Just so you are made aware, there is going to be a viewing of what you and that boy, Gin, in front of all the vampire Clan heads."

Apparently not.

Strange, choking sounds escaped Moka's lips, making her fall to the floor when her knees buckled. Stricken green eyes looked up to her matron for guidance, for answers, for comfort, for...anything to make it all stop...just for it to stop...

Only one word escaped her lips.

"How?"

"Your 'friend' has been posting videos of all the women he has been with on the web, including you, little Moka. Ria found out about this and showed it to me. I was there, outside your door when he attacked you, and I was about to stop it in my own way."

A tremble in Moka's lips parted just enough to start to plead for her mother not do anything to Gin, but Akasha spoke, stopping her from needing to say anything more. "You, my little Moka, stopped it on your own."

Akasha closed the distance between her and her daughter, sliding thin, small fingers through Moka's unkempt locks. "For whatever its worth, I'm proud of you."

Moka reflected to that night, how she had allowed herself to try and come to terms with talking to Gin, just trying to keep whatever bond she had with him for the sake of the child inside of her...yet, he was rude to her, boorishly mean and demanding. Then, when he grabbed her, forced himself on her, and almost raped her, she called out, saying how she was pregnant, and he got off of her as if she was diseased.

Looking back, if there was any pride to be had at those moments back then, in the lowest part of her shame, she felt there was one part where she could hold her head up high.

She admitted her faults and praised Tsukune all the while mocking Gin.

If they were going to show this to everyone, then she was going to let them all know that she was going to fail defending his name.

It was the least she could do...

Turning her head back towards the pile of clothes still in front of the laundry room, Moka came to a conclusion that there was more than letting events have their way with her.

...or was there?

"Mother, what's going to happen to me?" Moka's small voice seem to barely make it past her lips.

Akasha stroked her daughter's crown, over and over again, eventually pulling her into an embrace that was as heart felt as it was condemning. "At best, they are going to probably demand I banish you from all vampire society, revoke your rights to my name or to my Clan. You and your child will be exiled."

Exhaling nervously, she couldn't deny the punishment sounded very light considering what it would mean to a Clan's honor, especially one that held the title of Bloodriver.

Continuing her list of punishments, Akasha's voice lowered dutifully, devoid of emotion or affection, "At worst, there is also a possibility you will be killed to be cleansed of your dishonor."

The first thoughts that went through Moka's head were of the baby.

Her baby.

Was this fair to raise a child in these unfair conditions? Was this the life she had predetermined to introduce her and Tsukune's children into when she boldly and foolishly made her claim to seclude it to the violence of her family's and her vampire pride's ways?

The again, thoughts of his mother, Kasumi, and his dopey, though loveable, father Koji came to the front of her mind.

Had the life she lived, enduring the harshness of humanities bigotry and humiliation of trying too hard compare to the life and death struggles of the rigidness of vampire society?

Faced with the reality that she could potentially have ended her baby's life before it had even breathed itself into this world, she had set herself on a path to inevitably commit another vile act she could not steer away from.

There really was no bigger fool than she.

"Do you understand, Moka?"

While most of the things she said seemed very plausible, she had known that these consequences very well could happen when she first went down this road. She had not expected everything to collectively fall into place against her so well.

It didn't scare her as it should have. If she was to receive the worst punishment, it made her feel light. If she was going to have her greatest shame revealed, at least, after all was said and done, she would get to be with Tsukune again in death.

"I can accept that, Mother," Moka leaned into her mother's breasts, holding her tight.

Akasha said nothing, simply offering what little condolences and comfort where she could.

"I do have a request, though."

"I'm listening," Akasha's words hummed at Moka's brow.

"I want to tell Tsukune's mom, Aono Kasumi, what I did to her son. She needs to know that he's dead."

Akasha was already shaking her head. "No, I won't allow that."

"If I'm going to die, then why can't I at least try to make peace with his parents? Let me at least confess my sins to his mother? She, above anyone else, deserves to know! Wouldn't you want the same thing, Mother?"

Akasha gave her daughter a very hard, long look. Denying her was right at the tip of her tongue, however her words rang true in every part of her that was a woman and a mother.

"Alright, Moka, but on one condition."

Moka listened with her full focus.

"I am going with you."

xxx

Just as they approached Tsukune's family home, Akasha held Moka back by her arm, raising one finger to remind her, "Now, what have we agreed upon, Moka?"

Fidgeting her fingers, she shuffled her feet nervously, as her swollen green eyes stared at the entrance to her husband's home like the very gate to hell. "I can't mention anything about his death, about monsters, or that we're vampires."

"These are very basic rules, with the exception of Tsukune's demise. Now, what will happen if you tell them any of these things?"

Moka's lip quivered, "You'll have to...kill...them."

Akasha's visage was purposely stoic, unfeeling like marble. "I don't want to, my daughter, but this isn't a game. I think you know that more than anyone, don't you?"

"But...even Tsukune's death?"

"If you were to mention it, then she will want to know how, when, where, and why. Do you have answers for her that would appease her enough to not go snooping around by her own power? What is to keep her from asking his friends, possibly putting them in danger of discovery?"

Moka chewed her lip, unhappy that she wouldn't be able to, at a minimum, give his mother some proper closure.

"Then what can I tell her?"

"Whatever you want," Akasha nudged her daughter towards the Aono threshold, "Just within those boundaries. We can't stay long. We have to leave in less than an hour. We're already going to be late."

Tears falling anew, a sharp and intense swell of trepidation faltered her steps. This was it, something she had dreaded beyond coming back to her home, Tsukune's family's home where he grew up with loving parents who doted on him, cherished him, loved him...

...like she was supposed to have.

They kept him safe all his life, yet she had his death on her hands.

Now...now...now...

One slender finger reached up, trembling before the small white button of the door bell.

Flinching back, the very thought of the little electronic noise heralding her presence seemed too crass, yet she couldn't feel like she had the right to knock...she forced herself forward, breaking past that line of no return.

A pattering of small quick feet sounded like a small stampede past the thin layer of wood, making Moka nearly tumble over herself. In a moment...

...just like now...

...she would face the woman who loved Tsukune more than any other woman in the world.

The door flew open and there she was, the woman who Moka had first met and gained the approval to be allowed into Tsukune's heart. There she was, Aono Kasumi, the woman Tsukune fought against his and Moka's own love in his own befuddled way. Driving Moka crazy enough to do what she had foolishly done out of pride and fear to maintain his humanity, this was the woman he had wanted to bring his future children to, to be loved upon.

This was, after all was said and done, the woman Tsukune had fought and died for: His mother.

Neither had moved. They stared at each other, Kasumi's normally soft brown eyes dagger sharp and seeking. Moka could hear her mother talking, trying to be polite and cordial, as was someone that was used to niceties, but Moka knew Kasumi didn't need the gradual transition of small talk to business to express the real reason why they were here.

"Where's my son?" Kasumi demanded, standing across her home's threshold like a guardian to a kingdom.

The words were simple, forthright, and voiced barely above a normal tone, but they were laced with desperate need, with hope, with a mother's pain of not knowing where her only child was in the world so that she could comfort him and, likewise, herself at his safety.

"May we come in? I think this is a matter that needs to be discussed in private." Akasha requested gently, motioning regally with her free hand towards the Aono abode.

Kasumi examined Moka and then Akasha, her mother. While they were certainly cut from the same cloth, Akasha had a fulfilling brilliance about her, a glowing eminence of effervescent radiance that made the light seem to fall away from the night.

She looked powerfully youthful.

Moka, on the other hand, looked cadaverous, thin, and, yet, sickly bruised around her lips and eyes. Kasumi could see the way Moka's hands hovered around her middle, vainly trying to ease an upset stomach that was probably stirring with more than emotional turmoil.

In her son's wife's green eyes, she could feel the mountainous regret, guilt, and punishing self loathing that only a woman who had reflected on her actions and sought forgiveness could muster.

It was enough to allow Aono Kasumi to step backwards and motion for her two guests to enter.

"Please come in."

xxx

Sitting with her daughter on a small couch, Akasha's took note of simple trinkets here and there along the simple yet clean house. On the walls were photos of Kasumi and Koji, husband and wife through out their life from their young dating era, to their marriage, and the many years as mother and father with their son Tsukune.

This was their home.

In each picture was a reminder of how they created this environment of love, of happiness, of what had drawn Moka into this constant cycle of warmth. The Queen of Vampire's was reminded of a simple time of peace and serenity before titles, battles, and prestige took the reigns of her life and now made it the quagmire of duty and obligation it had become.

She didn't have to look over to Moka to see her eyes were glued to large picture of her and Tsukune on their wedding day, looking into each others eyes with such heartfelt love and bliss that their world was complete as long as they had each other.

Now her world was gone.

Kasumi was in the kitchen preparing tea. The sound of ceramic cups clattered onto a tray, along with a small kettle with small bowls of sugar and milk. She brought them clumsily and gracelessly compared to most of Akasha's servants, obviously not used to serving for the sake of poise but purpose.

Placing it on the coffee table in front of them, she gestured towards Akasha, "Sugar? Milk?"

"No, thank you."

"Moka," Kasumi offered a different colored tea with a small, spicy scent. "This will help your stomach."

Moka stiffened in her seat, unable to understand why Kasumi had been able to pick up anything when she had yet to say anything.

She was afraid to pick up the cup.

"I made it just how you like it, one spoonful of sugar with a dash of honey. I also put in a little bit of ginger and mint to help."

Her tears fell again, so easily, so simply at such a motherly gesture. This was who Tsukune wanted their children to be around when they were just infants, babies, just moments to years out of her womb. How could she be so adamantly stubborn to keep such devotion and simple kindness away from her own children when the woman had so much to give so freely, so easily?

Her sobs twisted her face, the wounds that had been festering again opened.

Akasha was there, rubbing Moka's shoulder in an attempt to assuage her that everything will be alright.

"I didn't see you at their wedding."

Akasha glanced up, meeting Kasumi's inquiring gaze with a polite smile.

"I couldn't come. The timing was...not right."

Kasumi shook her head, disapproval in her small voice, "Is that why I only saw Issa and Moka's sisters there?"

Akasha couldn't help but feeling judged by Tsukune's mom, being weighed not so much as a creature of power or of royalty trying to usurp the other from a throne. She was determining the beautiful, elegant woman as a mother to her daughter.

"I believe so," Akasha answered, still rubbing Moka's shoulder.

"He's married, isn't he?" Kasumi inquired again, politely prying into Akasha's own history.

"Yes," Akasha settled herself towards Kasumi, taking her questions into a cushioning defensiveness. "Shuzen Gyuoko, Kahlua's and Kokoa's mother."

"She wasn't there either," Kasumi called out thinly, looking back at the memory. Brown eyes that normally were soft and warm, glanced at the picture on the wall with the friends and family of Tsukune and Moka's wedding day. The only women around Issa were his daughters.

"We are a busy family," Akasha attempted to glaze over the answer to Kasumi's questions, but Tsukune's mother would have none of it.

"I knew only of Moka's father and sisters when I met them for the first time at their wedding," Kasumi took a sip of her tea, tasting it for no other reason to let Moka's mother try to gather answers for her next question. "I found it odd that we had over a year to prepare for their wedding. I got to meet all of Moka's and Tsukune's friends and their mothers. Kurumu's disapproving mom was there, so was Mizore's gentle oka-san...what's her name? Tsurara, I believe. They were all there. Did you know she owns a ski resort?"

Akasha had not ventured to find out about anything of Moka's friendships while in the Academy. The only thing really mentioned was of Tsukune and how his little flock of friends seemed to gravitate towards him.

If he was as caring and doting as his mother was, Akasha found it no small feat to have women want to be cherished by him so selfishly.

"No, I did not."

"Did you know that Kurono Ageha invited her aunt, Caro Shade, to the wedding?"

Akasha shook her head. Knowing where this was going, Akasha prepared to answer the question Kasumi was building herself up to.

"She was there. Flew all the way from America to join her niece's friends wedding. Her and Kurumu's mother were fun and a little noisy, but they were there for their daughter when she was obviously having a hard time seeing Moka and Tsukune walk down the isle. As outrageous and completely improper their manners and dress for the occasion, I have to admit they stood by Kurumu's side every step of the way."

Kasumi dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "She was such a nice girl. I wonder what happened to her."

Moka's shoulders slumped further, making herself small to such a simple rhetorical statement.

"Is this how you raised your daughter, Bloodriver Akasha?" Kasumi finally asked, narrowing her brown eyes at the vampire queen. "You let your husband go about his ways, making children with different women while you do whatever, whenever you want to leave your daughter defenseless without guidance?"

Akasha had rarely been on the receiving end of a scolding for her many thousands of years of living. To be scolded like such, by a powerless human no less, was a remarkable moment that left her speechless for a moment.

"I will not deny that I left Moka to the teachings of Issa at a young age to do my duty to my company, Fairy Tale, but there are things in this world that can't be ignored. I had full faith in Moka and her ability to see reason. Even you must have seen if if you allowed her to marry your son."

Kasumi was slightly taken aback by Akasha's remark, agreeing there were so many wonderful things about the pure hearted girl that seemed to make the room glow by just her presence. While Moka had everything any would could ask for, there was just one thing that Kasumi had always worried about her. While talking with her while she visited with Tsukune, there was this unquiet need to always have Tsukune close by. At first, Kasumi didn't think of it any more than a girl just helplessly in love with her son, but, later, it almost seemed...unhealthy.

Moka had never done anything to make her question her love for her son, but there were just times when she worried about things that made Tsukune seem overly protective of her.

Like when she was near water, when she ate her food and still seemed weak, or when Kasumi caught Moka kissing Tsukune's neck...well...it looked almost like biting!

What a bold girl!

Tsukune made it clear that Moka was just a bit...off.

Kasumi wondered about that, but as long as Tsukune and Moka were happy, that's all that mattered.

Now, however, things were different and Kasumi had had enough of this small talk.

It was time for business.

"You're right, I did." Kasumi caught Moka's attention now. Standing up with her hands on her hips, she asked what had been on her mind since their last conversation on the phone. "I made a mistake I have been kicking myself for a long time now, Aono Moka. I don't know who or what is to blame for what is going on, but I would really appreciate it if you can explain it to me."

"Oka-san," Moka's scratchy response was barely more than a whisper. "I did something…horrible."

"What did you do, Aono Moka?"

Standing up unsteadily, Moka moved around the small coffee table, lowered herself to press her forehead against the floor.

"I cheated on Tsukune, Oka-san," Moka's broken voice cracked, her snuffles coming out loud through her nose. "We were fighting about how our children would be raised and...and...I told him if he didn't listen to me I would find someone else to give me children."

Tsukune's mother's hand flew to her chest, hoping to calm her thrumming heart.

"That morning with Gin, when I called," Kasumi's low murmur could barely be heard over her confirmed disappointment. "What fight could you possibly have that would make you do such a thing?"

Hiccuping her bottomless despair, Moka hyperventilated her breath out into sobs, "I told him...that I didn't...want our children...raised around...people of his standing...of...people of...your and your husband's...social standing...I only wanted them...to be raised around...wealthy...and elite social statuses."

While what Moka admitted was off, there was enough hurtful truth to get the point of her argument's core.

Kasumi looked as if she had been slapped.

"When he refused, I...c-called Gin...and...he came to our home...I...gave Tsukune one last chance to change his mind. He didn't. I...I...-"

"You did what, Aono Moka," Kasumi's demand was so troubled she could barely stand it.

"I...took Gin into the bedroom," Moka's long fingers gripped into her hair, her heart breaking all over again, "and made good on my promise."

Kasumi's legs went out from under her, falling back into the seat of her chair.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Kasumi's trembling fingers rubbed her own brow. "All those times I scolded Tsukune about needing to be more proper around young ladies, about how you two needed to show some restraint and take things slowly. That's it, isn't it? You are angry at me because I would get in the way between you and him while in my house."

Moka shook her head, trying to deny Kasumi's assessment of the situation, when Moka's eyes bulged, an ugly gurgling sound escaped her lips, making the unhealthy looking woman scramble to her feet and run towards the bathroom.

Kasumi rushed over with her, grabbing a towel along the way, making it just in time to help move Moka's hair out of the commode's bowl.

Moka heaved for a few minutes, emptying her stomach of any and all remnants of food she had.

Akasha waited underneath the bathroom's threshold, monitoring Kasumi's protectiveness over her daughter in law even though she had just admitted to being unfaithful to her son and was not willing to share her children's future under Tsukune's mother and father's presence.

"How far along are you?"

Moka gripped the sides of the toilet, trying to brace herself, but not for another case of sickness.

Kasumi's eyes were hopeful, pleadingly hopeful.

"Almost eight weeks."

Tsukune's mother had already done the math, her hope almost dashed, but there was still a chance…

"It's…not Tsukune's."

Kasumi's small fingers folded her apron's front into a knot. "So…that's it then."

Turning to Akasha, then to Moka, she spoke quietly, her voice and posture defeated, "I don't think there is anything left to say."

"Oka-san Aono-" Moka began, reaching for Tsukune's mother, but Kasumi only offered her a towel.

"Clean yourself up, Moka," Mrs Aono turned to look Akasha in the eyes. "I don't know what you both know where my son is, but, if you had any decency or cared about him at all, please…tell me where he is."

"He's…_gone_…"

Maybe it was the way her voice quivered or the finality in Moka's eyes that caught Kasumi off guard, but she could not deny the way Moka had said her son was 'gone' that made her start . Everything Tsukune's wife had admitted to were horrible, horrible things, so it gave Kasumi no reason to believe that something equally terrible had befallen her son.

Gone…

It took her breath away at how much those two words affected Moka just to say them, to let more tears fall at that simple admission without detail.

Gone…

Where was her baby? Why hasn't he called her yet? Why was his wife here, in her bathroom, throwing up with a sickness of another man's child in her womb and she announcing that their lives were forever altered because of a fight on this magnitude?

"What she means is-" Akasha tried to break Kasumi out of her trance, that fearful, petrified beyond description look that seemed to take her very soul.

It was too late for words.

"I need to call my husband," Kasumi was already walking out of the room towards the kitchen, "I should have listened to my instincts a while ago. We're calling the police."

"Mrs Aono, please, lets talk about this," Akasha bodily blocked Kasumi's path, lowering her head respectfully, "I'm sure Tsukune is fine. After Moka and him fought, he simply left Moka, and I've been consoling her ever since. There is no need to call the authorities."

"Then tell me where he is!" Kasumi demanded, "If you can, at a minimum, get him on the phone to tell me he's okay, I take his word for it. Right now, I've been told that his wife can't be trusted with him and you certainly haven't been there to help either of them, so why should I listen to either of you now?"

Akasha was quiet.

"So far, the only truths coming out of his wife's mouth is all I have to go by. Now, if there is nothing else, I want to call my husband."

"Please, Kasumi-san-"

"Now!"

Akasha glance at Moka's crumpled form over the toilet, both of their green eyes conversing on what couldn't be said with words.

Moka was already shaking her head no, begging her not to.

"Then, excuse me," Akasha gracefully, stepped back, giving Kasumi room to patter over to her phone.

The Queen of Vampires gave Kasumi's back a long, hard look that Moka knew all too well.

It brought up another bout of vomit.

"I hope you'll forgive me, my daughter," Akasha's hand closed into a spear head shape. "I will make it painless."

Shaking her head, Moka tried to get up, but her stomach heaved violently, taking her balance away as well as her legs.

Moka helplessly watched as her mother slipped out of her sight like some vengeful spirit.

_No…_

She couldn't do this to Tsukune! There were already too many things that were her fault to cause him pain! She did it to him again! She didn't want this to happen! Moka didn't think her mother would have responded this way, but…but…

_No… _

Moka struggled to get to her feet, but she did. Holding her stomach, she swayed and stumbled, rushing out of the bathroom as fast as her numb legs would let her.

"No, mother-" Moka started, but was surprised to see Akasha and Kasumi staring at each other, both of their eyes wide.

Kasumi had a phone to her ear and Akasha was only watching her, confusion etched onto her timeless face.

"Who is this again?" Kasumi's small voice asked, watching Akasha approach her with some kind of steel resolve that wavered, hovering near Tsukune's mother as if waiting to determine if her next words would be her last.

Whoever it was on the other line, it brought an enormous amount of relief to her.

That was very strange, she didn't even hear it ring.

"Tsukune, where have you been!" Kasumi cried in motherly exasperation, cradling the phone to her cheek as if it could bring her that much closer to her son.

Those words, that name, that very profound sense of motherly love coming from her mother in law was enough to make Moka's sense of disbelief shook her to her very core.

How could it be?

Her Tsukune was…alive?


	33. Ch 33 Hi, Moka

Ch 33 Hi, Moka

Moka needed that phone.

She watched Kasumi animatedly express her distress and loving anguish at her son for not calling her sooner, reprimanding him for being so thoughtless and how much he needed to be more responsible to those that cared for him.

Akasha lowered her arm, relaxing her fingers to show Moka she was not going to complete her task. If anything, the Queen of Vampires looked away, in a brief show of shame.

Chewing her lip, Moka stood closer to Kasumi, her fingers seeking the phone at Kasumi's ear, desperate to confirm and express to that voice, the one she knew better than the sound of her own heart beat, that she loved him still, missed him still, and she needed to see him.

Kasumi's brown eyes narrowed at her, daring her to covet the sound piece that connected her to her Tsukune. With just her glare, she voiced that Moka had her chance to keep her relationship with her son and bring about a wonderful world where she could enjoy their intimately spoken moments over and over again.

_It is your fault this was happening, so deal with it. _Kasumi's narrowed eyes whispered with a glance.

Moka's fingertips covered her mouth, her green eyes closed with tears falling down her smooth cheeks to her chin. Now, more than ever, she was so weak she couldn't do anything but hear the voice of the man who had been the light in her life, who had been torn to pieces in her arms, held the only source of her penance, and yet could not be reached.

This was hell.

Akasha was there at her daughter's side, holding her to her breast and stroking her hair.

Kasumi held her tongue as she witnessed Moka's crumble emotionally before her. So much so, that Tsukune could be heard asking through the mouthpiece, "Ka-san? Are you there?"

"I am." She turned away, twisting the cord around her fingers, fighting her own inner turmoil. "Tsukune, Moka is here."

"Moka? Why is she there?"

Kasumi walked further away from mother and daughter, hushing her voice to a whisper. "Tsukune, she confessed to me about everything."

Through her pained exhale, it was obvious she held a very negative opinion of her daughter in law.

"I know it's not my place and you have ever right to ignore her as you have, but I think you need to talk to her. I believe she really does want to make amends-"

Kasumi held her tongue, receiving some kind of heated rebuttal from her son.

"We're family, Tsukune," She stomped her foot for emphasis, "We all make mistakes, sometimes some very bad one's, but its not like any one of us are perfect. If there is one thing I've taught you is to forgive-"

Kasumi winced, receiving an sharp rebuttal.

"Tsukune, she told me. She held nothing back," She sighed, rubbing her face with her hands, "She admitted to saying she didn't want to have children raised around Papa and I because of our social standing, what she did with Gin to force you to-"

Kasumi blinked at the phone, her eyebrows pinched. "Yes, that's what she said. Is she wrong?"

Moka and Akasha glanced at the other, curious as to what was being exchanged between mother and son Aono. Moka held her breath, unable to express in words how thankful she was that Kasumi was making a stand for her.

Patting herself on the chest, hoping to stop her heart from thrumming like it did, Kasumi choked out Moka's painful admission, "Tsukune, she also told me about the baby."

Kasumi paused, glancing about the room, unable to settle on Moka's seeking eyes.

"I really believe she wants to do right by all of us, Tsukune. She is very, very sorry and wants to fix things between you and her. Why else would she come to me about this? She needs help from friends and family. If there is anything I've taught you, Tsukune, is to never abandon those who are in need, even if they've hurt you. Do you remember?"

Moka held her breath for a long time, as did Kasumi.

"Yes, Tsukune, she's right here."

Every step Kasumi took to shorten the distance to Moka seemed like a chance to heal the largest mistake and experience in her life.

"I've done all I can for you, Moka." Kasumi pushed the phone into Moka's hand. "Here's your chance."

Thankful, grateful, blissfully overjoyed that Kasumi would stand up for her, Moka simply let her happiness glow through her smile when she accepted, but Kasumi held onto the sound piece for a second, ensuring she had Moka's attention.

"I may not be as rich, as noble, highly educated or strikingly beautiful like you or your family, Moka, but I know how to love and be loyal to family. I'm sorry we were not good enough for you. If you truly felt that way, then it would have been better for you to let us all know from the beginning."

Moka shook her head, ready to try to explain that these feelings never were in her mind back then, but Kasumi simply pointed to the phone. "Actions speak louder than words, Moka."

Walking away, Kasumi went to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

A slow exhale pushed it's way through Moka's lips. Pressing the plastic voice piece to her cheek, she tried to keep her calm, but that was a failed effort. On the other end of the line was the man she loved beyond words and had hurt equally as much. She felt as if his very presence, as if his own cheek, his own warmth was against her right now.

What would be the proper thing to say?

The very wisp of his breath could be heard, and it took her voice from her throat.

"Ts...Tsu..." She swallowed the impossibly dense lump in her throat, his name was there, on the tip of her tongue, but to actually utter it, confirm that her husband, her beloved, her mate was alive was a feat almost too much to endure.

He helped her say what she couldn't.

"Hi, Moka."

Now she found her voice.

"Tsu...kune?"

That air that spoke his name actually hurt. Her chest clenched harder than anything she ever felt before. Something sharp and piercing, emotions filled to the brim with regret and self loathing boiled over, creating another trail of tears from her already blood shot eyes.

Now that she had heard him, she had to try and remain calm least she bring up more questions from his mother that was only a room away.

"Is this really...you?"

"Its me, Moka." He sighed noisily, causing the small speaker in her ear to crackle.

"I'm...glad," She hiccuped, gripped the phone with both hands, pushing it so hard against her ear it hurt. "I'm so, so glad you're...okay."

She could only hear him breathing again.

Had he really nothing to say to her? Ask of her?

"I came over to your mother's house to apologize, Tsukune." She swallowed, hoping her attempt at repentance meant something. "I tried to explain the best I-"

"I know, Moka," He spoke quickly, emotionlessly. "I really do know."

A stray lock of pink hair fell from to the front of her face. Her mother there, curious as to what was shared between them.

For all intent and purposes, it seemed like Tsukune really didn't want to say anything more.

"Where are you?"

"I'm with Ria heading over to our Lord Father's home." He replied quietly. "I was told you were to be there as well. I have still need to talk to him concerning some unfinished business."

"I see." Moka's voice quavered, hiding her eyes behind her tresses.

_He still wants to renounce our bond_, she thought.

"There really is very little to say, Moka-san." Tsukune's voice lacked any form of lecture, but he held a simple honesty she couldn't deny. "We'll clear things up when I see you here."

Moka nodded, unable to verbally agree.

"For whatever it's worth, I'm glad that you apologized to my mom," The smallest hint of appreciation reached her. "I'm sure I worried her. Thank you for trying to put her at ease."

"Tsukune, you know I still love you, right?" Desperate, she tried to reach him. "You have to believe me! I'm sorry! Please, I'm very, very sorry!"

"Moka, I know." The finality in his timbre was exactly like the one he used when she tried to lay next to him back at the Academy. "See you soon."

Click.

She wanted to talk to him more, so much more, but she couldn't. Just like that, she lost him again.

Or did she?

"We have to go, Mother." Moka only had to share a look with her matron to explain what her intent was.

"You do know you could be rushing to a very unpleasant reunion, Moka." Akasha warned.

"I just found my husband," Moka turned to face a mirror, trying to primp it with a few quick brushes of her fingers through her hair. "I have to see him again."

"Moka."

Akasha and Moka turned to Kasumi, who was holding out a piece of paper.

"This was the same doctor that delivered Tsukune."

Moka read the name and number on it.

"He does all sorts of work," Kasumi looked away from her daughter in law, her face pinched with restrained patience. "And can make any kind of recommendations should you choose to..."

_Have an abortion_, Moka finished what Tsukune's mother could not say out loud.

"Thank you, Ka-san," Moka bowed her head low, showing the same respect she would normally only show her father in court. "I'm very sorry to-"

"You keep saying you're sorry, Moka," Kasumi padded towards her front door and opened it for her guests. "I have no clue what my son intends to do in either of your futures, but I have only this much to say."

Akasha walked next to her daughter as they exited the matron Aono's house.

"You could have come to me at anytime about this and I would have helped you." Clenching her small fingers to her apron, Kasumi brought the hem of it to her eyes. "Should you two not make it, I will still be here afterwards."

Moka could not give a proper reply to such loyalty, even after exposing so much betrayal to her husband's mother.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to call my husband. I need to tell him our son is okay."

The door latched in place quietly. It wasn't slammed out of anger and Kasumi didn't yell at the top of her lungs at Moka or her mother as was expected of anyone who would have done the deeds Moka had to Kasumi's son.

This is what made Tsukune unique.

He wasn't like every man. Those actions that had drawn Moka and everyone of those beautiful monster maidens to him back at the Academy had to have been taught to him by the very person Moka was trying to keep her children away from.

His Mother.

"We need to go, Moka."

There was not a word for how deep her regret was. Right now, she could only go with the tide of consequences her actions have created for her.

"I am ready."

Akasha wrapped her arms around Moka, making them both disappear in the blackest flames.


	34. Ch 34 Hurry Home

Take What Is Yours

Ch 34 Hurry Home

Tsukune rubbed at his eyes in frustration when he ended the conversation with Moka. Placing the phone back in his pocket, he returned to staring outside the tinted black windows of the limo as it made it's way across the country to Castle Akashiya.

Ria could see the tightening of his shoulders and the clenching of his jaw with ever breath he tried to calm himself with.

It failed.

One long arm snaked around his shoulder, gently kneading him at the neck-

"Don't touch me, Ria."

-only to have Tsukune brush her attempt away.

"Come now, little brother," She purred, pulling him towards her shoulder. "How bad could your reunion with your adulterous wife be? You've got so much to look forward to when we hear it first hand that I wouldn't be surprised if they don't give you a front seat and popcorn to see the spectacle."

"I really don't want to talk about this."

Annoyed by his dismissal, she flicked his ear with her long fingernail, making him turn to give her a heated glare.

"You have no idea what kind of position you're about to dive into. You will have half of the council eating out of your hand once we witness the treachery of your wife with the head vampires of our council, not to exclude what Mikogami has put upon the Youkai world once you reveal he has been allowing humans into a 'human free' zone this whole time. Then there is the fact you will be dissolving your bond with Moka due to her tryst, plus lets also not forget the Shinso blood realized in you. There will be Clans, very prominent ones, like Tepes, or Vladimires, Valentines or Darkhearts chomping at the bit to get you within their ranks or, at a minimum, break bread with you."

She pulled his chin to face her, eye to eye. Her smile was quite striking.

"Your network will flourish outside of our Lord's, Tsukune. This could be the start of your own little empire that will add to the Shuzen name. Our Lord Father will be proud."

Tsukune was not naive enough to enlist Ria's advice without being wary. "Could be?"

"Oh, one doesn't become great with just talent by themselves, little brother." Ria lifted her glove sheathed arms to stretch, giving him a clear view of her slender neck. "One just needs guidance from the right person."

Tsukune's chuckle was one lacking amusement. "And that one person would be?"

"Don't be that way, Tsukune," Ria simpered, tugging at the hem of her long dress, smoothing out the folds along her thighs. "We may not have had the best start, but you can't deny that if anyone knows how to negotiate success on that level it is I."

"We'll see, Ria." He answered neutrally.

Displeased with his obviously polite dismissal, she gave one back that hinted as something he shouldn't ignore.

"You're right, Tsukune," She smiled thinly, leaning back in her chair to stare outside the opposing window. "We _will_ see."

xxx

**Back at Witch's Knoll**

"Is this everyone?" Ruby turned to Kurumu and Yukari, who had appeared from the east and west wings of the mansion.

"I believe so," Kurumu waved, holding onto the hands of two little girls that might be considered twins had they not been caked in dirt and mud.

"I didn't see anyone else, desu," Yukari announced, her arm trying to placate a fidgety boy who seemed ready to bolt. "We're not going to hurt you."

Suspicious of his captor, he jerked his arm away.

Ruby took noticed out of all the children, he had a lot of scratches, bruises, and scuff marks instantly.

Offering a gentle smile, she placed her hands formally in front of her and spoke in her softest voice to the small crowd of children before her.

"Greetings. My name is Toujou Ruby. Let me begin by saying that none of you are in danger. Neither my friends, nor I, wish to harm any of you. With that said, I must tell you that this place is my home and that of my Master, Aono Tsukune. It is by his order, and my desire, that you are all fed and sheltered. By nights end, we will have food for you and a clean place to stay. Won't that be nice?"

"What about afterwards?" The same little boy asked, arms around two of the little girls leaning against him protectively. "You gonna kick us out like the others?"

Ruby and the duet by either side of her shared a glance. "That all depends, young man. What is your name?"

"I'm not tell'n you nuff'n!" He pulled the two young girls behind him, a ready to scrap snarl on his marred countenance. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"I never suggested you were," Ruby replied, but her eyes never left his. "However, in this house, in the absence of my master, I am the Headmistress here. One of those rules will be courtesy. Everyone will learn it and use it. No matter what age or what station one person has over the other, there is never a reason to be rude or obstinate. Petulance will not be tolerated here."

One of the little girls rose her hand, fearful to be noticed.

"Yes, miss...?" Ruby gestured with a nod of her head.

"Rin, Toujou-san," Afraid to keep her hand raised, she quickly lowered it back to her lap. "Ryoske has always been there for us! Please, don't hurt him!"

Ruby's head tilted to the side in confusion. "Have I made any threats?"

"Well," Rin fidgeted with her hair with her grubby fingers. "He's not being polite and I don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"Please don't hurt him!"

"He's not, bad!"

"Zzzzzzz..."

The loud snore caught everyone's attention. A little blonde girl with an unkempt dress was balled up against a rather sickly looking boy. Her little mouth was wide open, showing no sense of awareness to the situation around her. Another snorting, nose hiccup erupted from her which she rubbed away with the back of her hand.

She fell back to sleep, nodding off against her friend's embrace.

It was equally cute as it was comical.

"That's Alice-chan. She sleeps a lot." One of the twins spoke under her fists in a giggle.

"As I said," Ruby continued, "No one is going to hurt anyone here. You have my word on it. However, what I do have for all of you," She turned her head to stare directly at the defiant brown eyes of Ryoske, "even those of you that don't wish to listen," Ruby turned back to face the general gang of young ones, "is a chance to have a place to live for as long as you want."

Ryoske, still glaring at Ruby without calming his glare spat out, "At what price? No one gets something for nothing!"

Ruby agreed. "You're correct. As I said, this is my Master's and my home. The only people who are allowed to stay here, permanently, are family."

Confusion and suspicion turned the necks of the children in the room.

"I don't understand." Came Rin's befuddled reply that seemed to reflect the other's thoughts.

Ruby gestured towards Kurumu and Yukari, holding each one of their hands with sisterly affection. "These are my sisters. Though we were not born of the same womb, I love them as I would if they were of my own blood. My first Mistress, Oyakata-sama, was there for me when I lost my real parents in an accident that left me orphaned and alone. She became my mother and my friend. My new master, Tsukune-sama, is also a part of our family. We love him as much as he loves us. There is no doubt in my heart," Ruby emphasized by placing her fingertips over her breast, "that he would do for us as we would do for him. No doubt."

Kurumu nodded, grinning cheerily that she felt exactly the same.

Yukari smiled, spouting earnest 'Desu!'

"With that said," Ruby gestured about to the children before her, "Then there are those that simply need help, temporary help. They do not wish to stay, but need a helping hand to get back onto their feet. For that, we still say that you are welcome, but," Ruby held one finger, her eyes scanning each child as if to look inside their hearts, "you can not stay. My sisters and I are here to protect our family and wish to only seek peace within ourselves and those around us. If we feel you are here to harm us or do anyone of us an injustice, then it will be, with regret, time for you or them to depart, hopefully on good terms so that you may come visit us again. If not, well," Ruby flicked her hand to the side, letting a thick bodied raven land on her finger tips. "we have ways to deal with unwelcomed visitors."

The children 'oohed' and 'aww'd'.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Small heads bobbed up and down, curious to know more.

"Good!" Ruby gestured towards Kurumu.

The succubus bounced high on her tip toes to let out a cheer, "Whose hungry?"

"Me!"

"I am!"

"Please, me, too!"

"I'm starved!"

"Zzzzzzzzzz…"

"Now, you, young man," Ruby made a point of gesturing her long finger at Ryoske, "You will accompany her to the grocery to help her bring food here, won't you?"

The young lad was in obvious conflict of leaving his wards behind, but there seemed to be little debate as to how well they would fare if they could get something to eat. "Alright."

Ruby could understand his dilemma, so she gave Kurumu a wink, gesturing accordingly.

"My name is Kurono Kurumu! Please take care of me on our way, ne?" The busty succubus gave a flirty bounce that made the young boy seem ready to jet into manhood with just a look.

"Ahh…okay." He fought his urge to giggle like a…well…he was about the age of a school boy, but he didn't have to act like one.

"Ahem," Ruby coughed into her fist, holding her narrowed purple-violet eyes at him.

Fuming where he stood, he barked, "Ryoske! I don't know my damn family name because I was dropped off some hospital and they didn't give me one! There? You happy?"

Ruby kept her gaze on him, her emotions barely visible on her face or her voice, "Again."

Yukari and Kurumu were uncomfortable with the little war waging between Ryoske and Ruby.

"Why should I have to?" He huffed, clearly embarrassed. "This is all pointless! You want to help us, then help us! Don't give us this shit about manners or family! Just do or don't!"

Ruby flicked her finger, making the raven flutter to her shoulder, giving an annoyed squawk. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips thin, giving this young upstart a quick appraisal. By the hitch in his breath and the flinch in his shoulders, it was obvious he was expecting her to hit him.

She did the opposite.

"What are you-?"

She hugged him.

"You use anger and rage to hide your fear, don't you?" She softly whispered, patting his back. "I used to cry and cry, but I'm not as strong as you back then. I was about three years younger than you, but I found love and someone who would protect me, just as you have been for everyone here, Ryoske. You don't have to be strong for everyone here, but it shows so much character inside of you that you do. Let me, Kurumu and Yukari help. Let us take some of that burden from you, but, in return, we are going to teach you how to be a good and strong man that we all know is inside you. Just let us, okay? I won't lead you astray. I give you my promise as an orphan, just like you."

Fat wet tears fell on her bare shoulder, giving just the tiniest nod.

"Good. Now, try again," She released him, wiping his tear from his smudged eye lashes.

Shuffling towards Kurumu, he tried to look at her beaming smile, but only ended up looking at the ground in front of her. "Ryoske, just Ryoske, Kurumu-san. Please," he swallowed a good bit of pride saying the new few words, "take care of me as well."

"Yahoo!" Kurumu pulled at his hand, pulling him towards the mansion's entrance. "I want you to know, I'm an excellent cook! Now lets go to town and get some…"

Yukari and Ruby could hear her prattle on about all the wonderful foods she was going to cook for him and their new family.

Ruby clapped her hands, garnering everyone's attention. "Now then, since we can't eat with dirty hands and faces, you all with wash up and later, after we're done, we'll need to find a clean space here for you all to sleep. So, as a way to earn your food and roof over your heads, I will start you all off with some basic chores. Yukari will help but I want all of you to start picking up the lose weeds, sticks, and overgrown vines in the corner of the main room and take them outside. I'll be right back to see about some towels for baths tonight, then some blankets and pillows for you all to sleep on."

"Hai!"

"Yes, Ruby-san!"

"ZZzzzz…."

"Oh, and could someone wake up Alice-chan? There won't be any sleeping while there is work to be done. She can sleep like everyone else." Ruby lectured as she started her way towards the east wing and out of sight.

There was a small debate as to who would wake up the perpetually sleepy young girl, but those sounds were getting dulled when Ruby stumbled into the nearest bathroom to cough up more blood.

_I need to hold on. Please, stay together long enough to hold on, Ruby. You need to hold on, for Tsukune-sama's sake. Please, do it for him!_

"Ruby-san?"

Yukari stood behind her, large violet eyes wide with worry. In her hands were a couple of bundles of worn but very thick blankets.

"Good, those will do. Now, lets see about some towels."

Without another word, Ruby brushed past her to do her duty.

"Tsukune-san," Yukari mumbled into the air, staring at Ruby's back. "Hurry home."


	35. Ch 35 A Moment Before The Reunion

**AN: For the past two years, Lord Of The Land Of Fire has been working on a book that I have had the pleasure of helping him with. As of yesterday, he has succeeded in a project we all hope to accomplish one day.**

**He has published it.**

**_The (Sort Of) Dark Mage_ is out on Amazon.**

**Please, support your fellow fanfiction author who has given seventy plus fabulous stories for your entertainment. Remember, this could be you someday.**

**Respectfully,**

**Your Mistress**

**PS- I'm proud of you Lord Of The Land Of Fire. I'll step on you later.**

**xxx**

**Take What Is Yours**

**Ch 35 A Moment Before The Reunion**

Shuzen Gyokuro's bedchamber was the picture of lavish opulence.

Five minutes ago, it was impeccably clean to the smallest detail. The vaulted ceiling sported a lit chandelier of polished crystal with candle lit votives floating within its brass candelabra stems. Her Queen sized bed fashioned a bouquet of pillows covered in burgundy satin sheets with bronze tapestry cinched posts. Only the finest of everything could be seen at a glance.

In front of a vanity sat the mistress of the room, of the castle, of the Clan Shuzen.

On either side of her, two rows of maids waited dutifully for her whim to be announced. Emotional whimpers and stifled cries barely escaped their lips, as they averted their eyes as best they could.

Their numbers had been reduced by one.

She wasn't just a maid, but a member of Gyokuro's husband's harem.

Along the floor bloody footprints explained a chase and very painful, tortured death. Spattered over spray touched the walls, furniture, and some of the servants outfits.

The hunter was content with her prey's remains resting lifelessly in her grasp.

Gyokuro played with a young maid's pretty red hair that was resting in her lap as she sat on in her chair, gazing at the vanity mirror. Her fingers gingerly rolled through her locks, affectionately straightened them out only to repeat the process mindlessly. She did this again and again, her thoughts somewhere else.

A knock at Gyokuro's door announced a visitor.

She gave a single nod, allowing one of the maids to allow the guest entry.

Kahlua announced herself, striding gracefully to her mother's side.

"Oka-sama, you're dress is ruined." Her daughter pointed out, her clear eyes appraising the red blood stain from the maid's neck down the front of her mother's skirt.

"I know, Kahlua." She continued to stroke the maid's tresses, even trailing a long, manicured finger down its delicate cheek, by her sightless eyes.

"Our Lord Father will not be pleased," Kahlua approached her mother's side, pulling the long locks of crimson to look at the maid's face. "She was one of his favorites."

"Was she?" Gyokuro's smile widened, relishing the thought. She even took her eyes off the mirror to consider the dead, young girl on her lap. "That makes me happy."

Kahlua shrugged her dainty shoulders. "We need to get you into a new dress. The Council is already expecting you and father to announce Moka-chan's-"

A slow, rending rip, like meat separating from bones, met Kahlua's ears. Cloth on cloth, fabric on fabric friction soon followed by the maid's body falling heavily to the floor. Daughter Shuzen turn to see the maid her mother had drank dry was now headless on the floor at her feet.

In Gyokuro's left hand, the decapitated head dangled by her hair with some of the spine poking from the bottom of the neck.

"Yes," Gyokuro voiced calmly, silently acknowledging her daughter. "her and her..._mother_ will be here."

Kahlua could tell it would be best to leave her mother be right now, especially when she was in this dark of a mood.

"That reminds me," The blonde matron of the Shuzen Clan limply dangled the red headed-head in a loose grip, "Have we heard anything from Hakuto?"

Kahlua's eyes swayed with the pendulum swing of her mother's fingers as they canted her prize this way and that.

"Yes, Mother. All is in place and should be put into action shortly."

"How shortly?"

Kahlua glanced at the clock on the wall. "Five hours or so."

"Hmm," Gyokuro bobbed her head, nodding agreeably. "That will do."

Kahlua touched her fingers to her lips, confusion thick in her gaze, "Why did you insist on having him send a message to her? Moka won't appreciate it."

Gyokuro's shoulders shrugged, "What is any good reason to share misery, Kahlua?" Gyokuro flicked at her fingernails in her free hand, inspecting them for any signs of chipping, "I'm bored."

"What shall I tell father?"

While it may not do to ever get on her oka-sama's bad side, even her matron knew that there were people she would have to answer to.

"Tell him..."

Gyokuro's head snapped to the left, as if looking through the many rooms and walls of her and her husband's home. She could sense _them_.

"...that Moka and Akasha are here."

Rotating the dead girl's head in her hands, she gave it an appreciative nod. "You look a little like _that_ woman, don't you, Maid-chan? I can see why he favored you."

Gyokuro even gave a burble of a laugh. "I might even get to see him upset with me tonight. Won't that be nice?"

She kissed the maid's cold forehead.

Deciding it was time to play the game of her lessers, she got to her feet to give herself a casual inspection.

_Perfect_.

Everything about her was perfect. Her hair was perfectly cut to her dainty chin. The fabric of her gown hugged her lithe frame naturally, as if created more from magic than natural fibers. Jewelry didn't clutter her ears or her neck. She didn't need it.

Like her daughter, she was majestically beautiful...

...even with the trail of blood going down the side of her mouth, leaving a long splash of scarlet down her bodice and skirt.

"Why does your father chose her over me, Kahlua?" she inquired whimsically.

"I do not know, Oka-sama." Kahlua held the door open, her head bowed. "We must go."

Gyokuro tilted her head, considering her daughter's reply. "Do you know that I am in the mood to actually kill you, Kahlua?"

Kahlua nodded, but kept her hand on the door, refusing to budge. "You are always ready to, Oka-sama. I am not afraid to die by your hands. I still love you regardless if you take my life or not."

"I know, my daughter," Gyokuro approached Kahlua, touching her cheek with her gloved hand stained with the maid's blood. "That's why I'm letting you live."

"You are most generous, Oka-sama."

"I know. I know." Gyokuro sighed, giving the head she held in her grip one last look. A shock when through her, stiffening her back as if someone had impaled her.

"No!"

Kahlua jumped out of the way, just in time to dodge her mother smashing the skull into the wall, turning it into brain and bone fragments.

Seven maids flinched, holding their breath. Their lives were always on the line when their mistress was in this kind of mood.

"Oka-sama?" Kahlua cautiously inquired.

"We must go," She wipes her hand with the other, getting the residual pieces of the maid from her fingers. "It would seem Ria has brought a guest."

"Ria nee-chan is here? That's good, isn't it?"

"I could care less," Gyokuro fumed. "It's who she brought with her that make things uncomfortable for us."

Kahlua blinked cluelessly. "Why?"

"Because the dead are supposed to stay dead."

"Where are we going?"

"Where I'm probably wanted the least, Kahlua." She stormed down the hallway, maids following quickly into the room in her wake to clean up the remains of their comrade, "to see your father."

xxx

Issa pulled at his cufflinks as he inspected the gathering below the balcony he was monitoring from. Everyone was here with the exception of some of the lesser clans. That was fine. They would be corrected in time, but that was not what was important now.

Revenge needed to be dealt to those that would take his blood away from his clan.

Yes, Tsukune was but one of _those_ creatures before he was graced with the perfect blood of his tainted daughter. Smoothing his goatee, he had to rethink that what he considered 'perfect'. Akasha had a sliver of humanity in her genes.

Did that make her less than adequate to carry the title of Queen of Vampires?

No, if that was the case, then her Shinso heredity would also be considered a weakening. That trait alone was enough to put her on the highest pedestal in the vampire hierarchy. There was a lot to contemplate on what was pure and what was not, what was right and what was wrong within the mindsets of his brood and those that occupied his grand hall.

One thing that did not need to be unsure about was the actions needed to met out revenge for his son and the enact the right example to give his daughter as a message to those that would desecrate their bloodline.

Correction, his adopted daughter, which she is no longer.

A slow exhale escaped his nostrils, his keen vampiric eyes monitoring the workers put up the huge screen with a sizeable projector ready to display what was on the net. Her debacle was about to be witnessed by everyone and, once it was over, her punishment would be decided upon.

This very well could be her death and that of the abomination germinating within her.

A cold shiver pierced him, making his long fingers grasp the railing least he lose his nerve.

This _needed_ to be done. It _had_ to be done.

Yet, inside his heart of hearts, he still loved his precious little girl, even if she wasn't from his blood but that of...that monster. Ria was his most trusted and dutiful. Kahlua was his most powerful. Kokoa was his most...passionate? Moka was, simply, the most...free? The most like her mother?

Now, her time was limited to just a few hours, if that.

A presence made itself known to him, making him reflect on his quip about monsters.

"Your woman is here, Issa." Gyokuro approached him with her daughter and two servants in tow. "Along with that spawn of hers."

Without glancing at her, he simply nodded. He still inspected the gathering of different clans on the large ballroom floor. He didn't see her face, or that of Moka's, anywhere.

There was someone else who should be here...

"Ria will be here within minutes," She answered the question that she knew was furrowing his brow.

It eased him, deserving of a smile.

"Good." He gestured to the small orchestra to begin playing a classical dirge.

Couples gravitated to the center floor, joining hands and began their waltz.

Like clockwork and perfect symmetry, they moved to the timeless music, showing brilliant grace and fluidity that few creatures could accomplish. This was the beginning of an eventful night and everyone was ready to get it under way.

"She brought someone with her, my husband."

Now Issa turned to face her, giving her the attention she had obviously been trying to antagonize him with. He took notice of the blood on her lips and gown. He knew this one of her ways to get him to notice her, like a petulant child that would misbehave. "That so."

"Hm," Gyokuro stalked him, moving behind him to smooth his cloak by his shoulders.

Inhaling the thick scent of blood on Gyokuro's clothing, a strong glower pierced her.

It touched her lips in a beautiful smile.

"Kaluha told me you favored her...often."

He didn't answer her.

"Don't stay away from me anymore, especially with _her_ here." Gyokuro curled her fingers like claws, "She's always trying to show you and I how to live our lives. Who is she to guide us?" Leaning against his back to sniff at his neck, she gave his ear a suggestive bite. "You will be in my bed tonight."

"Whom did Ria bring?" He moved away from her, his attention on the swirling pattern of vampire bodies instead of his seeking wife.

Gyokuro's vampire red eyes narrowed at this slight.

"Someone significant," Gyokuro voiced, her fingers clutching the air at her hips. "It could be trouble. Do you want me to see they are silenced before it turns into an issue? It would be my pleasure."

"That all matters on who it is."

"The only other person that could bring a smile to your face other than that rampaging slut you keep as your whore, my husband," Gyokuro grinned malevolently when Issa contrasted her glee with contempt. "Your son."

xxx

Dancers jumped out of the way, missing Shuzen Issa leap from the balcony and race towards the main hallway with a feline grace. Behind him, Gyokuro and Kahlua, along with a quartet of servants following in their wake, but at a much slower pace: slow and unhurried with the use of stairs.

Murmurs of curiosity filled the hall, wondering what could cause their host to create such a debacle.

They began to inquire his wife, Gyokuro, but she ignored them, simply staring straight ahead with a marble firm smile on her lips.

Deciding it best to wait, they continued to dance and wait with baited anticipation. Tonight seemed to offer many pleasantries.

xxx

Large, thick double doors creaked ajar. Two long shadows entered the cavernous halls with two rows of servants, maids and butlers, bowing to greet their mistress and step sibling.

"Welcome home, Tsukune." Ria opened her hands, striding eagerly with the help keeping up to her as she usually had orders upon entering.

"Thank you." Tsukune answered wearily, still finding the ominous main hall still intimidating after all this time.

"Keep up, will you?" Ria called out, business like yet playful. "Your presence won't be a secret long since Gyokuro is sure to be in tonight. I'm sure its just a matter of time before-"

Ria and Tsukune stopped, seeing a single blurred figure slow to a trot.

Shuzen Issa's cape fluttered to the polished marble floor, his crimson eyes locked onto Tsukune in silent awe.

The two men stood facing each other, unspoken words and voiceless recognition. Ria was barely able to compose herself, clearly ecstatic to be the herald to Tsukune's rebirth.

"My Lord Father, I bring your son, my brother, Aono Tsukune home," The dark haired vampiress bowed, touching Tsukune's arm with her fingertips.

Tsukune was the first to look away. His Lord Father had always been a steel eye'd figure of indomitable authority and conscious. Seeing Moka's father personally approach him, take notice of him in a way that was not only possessive but claiming him, showing the slightest bit of pride, knowing everything that he was from human, to Moka's mate, and show favor in his rebirth was the equivalent of most people being an emotional wreck.

Issa's head shook, his thin lips spread into a wide, toothy smile. "Magnificent."

Taking Tsukune to his chest, taking a deep long sniff at his neck. Aono Tsukune flinched, knowing all to well what a vampire did when that close to his jugular.

"You are, indeed, Tsukune, my son." Issa patted the young Aono on the cheek, nodding in approval of Tsukune.. "You are back from the dead. Good. Very good."

"I am sorry, Lord Father," Tsukune fidgeted, quickly getting to his knee, "I simply forgot-"

"Ha!" Issa lifted him by his collar, pulling him into a one arm hug, "There will be none of that now. Come! We have much to celebrate and discuss, but first-"

He turned to Ria, piercing her with a knowing eye.

"Why was I not told of this before? I am not happy to be informed of my son's revival like this."

Ria let a slow, mischievous smile crease her lips, "Oops?"

"Hm," Issa shook his head, know all too well of his daughter's scheming ways. "Indeed."


	36. Ch 36 Aloft

**Take What Is Yours**

**Ch 36 Aloft  
**

**Five minutes ago...**

Akasha and Moka appeared in a flare of black fire just one mile away from a tall castle nestled in the crook of a mountainous alley. Trees, thick and sturdy, swayed with the evening wind, pulling at their hair and clothes.

Moka inspected her surroundings curiously.

"Mother?"

"Wait, my daughter," Akasha's piercing green eyes sought out high into the sky, seeing beyond the misty clouds. "He's coming."

"Who?"

"You'll see soon enough." She touched her daughter's arm in a show of support. "Are you prepared, Moka? This whole event was created to entertain the vampire clans with your punishment. All I can promise you is that you will see Tsukune, and I will do what I can within the boundaries I have with the other Clan Heads. They aren't happy with me as it is. I am sure, this night, I will be acting more as the Dark Lord than Queen."

Moka pulled at her hair near her hip, looking about the land itself as if to find answers in its nightly shadows.

"I just want to see Tsukune again, Mother. I don't know what to do after that."

"Be brave, Moka." Akasha sighed, unable to encourage her with facts or falsehoods. Reality and vampire customs were against them both. "Even if you fail, be yourself. Even a failure in love was still able to enjoy love."

"But...when its gone?" Moka mumbled, unclear as to what her mother was trying to tell her.

"Then you find another." Akasha opened her fingers to Moka, "It's time, Moka."

"I don't want another." Moka accepted, holding onto her mother with a tight grip.

"Then you will be alone."

The spell cast, the duo disappeared.

**xxx**

**Inside Castle Akashiya**

"Welcome home, Mother Akasha and Moka."

The separate gouts of fire erupted on top of the castle, greeted by four elegant guards and one petite red headed with emerald green eyes and pig tails.

"Kokoa imotou?" Omote Moka lips turned to smile at her little sister, but that grace fell when she noticed the austere, thin lipped countenance of someone that had recently turned on her since her admission of infidelity.

"Do not call out to me so informally, Aono Moka." Kokoa announced, regarding her once beloved elder sister that she had once lavished her affections on. Now, there was simply a young vampire fulfilling a duty with an emotional distance usually seen by strangers.

Akasha's eyes shifted left and then right, then glancing briefly behind her shoulder. "Thank you for the escort, Shuzen Kokoa, but I believe Moka and I can arrive at the Hall of Shadows without you."

Kokoa's eyes were hard, her lips pressed tight as she looked up to the Queen of Vampires. "It would be against the orders given to me by Gyokuro, Mother Akasha. Please, this way."

Two of the handsome elite opened the door, gesturing inside with unfriendly smiles.

"So be it," Akasha took her place in front of Moka, but that was where she had made her first mistake.

Two guards stood their ground between Akasha and Moka, gripping Moka by her wrists and forcing them behind her back. A third was about to slap a tag on Moka's forehead, but Akasha was quick, snatching his hand and twisting it, to look at the paper rune.

"It's a teleportation rune." Akasha twisted harder, making the young vampire's wrist splinter in her grip. "Where does it go to?"

"The Hall." Kokoa called out, intervening. "We have a special place for Moka that you, as the Queen Of Vampires, are to witness and, if you wish, to defend, but, as of now, you can't dismiss her crimes against our kind without a proper trial."

"You're going to-"

"Yes, in front of everyone, Mother Akasha." Kokoa confirmed with a straight gaze.

"Mother," Moka hiccuped, her large fearful green eyes darting from one guard to the next.

Their smiles were sinister.

Akasha gazed about the ceiling, as if trying to pierce the very stone and mortar for what she sought.

"So be it," She spoke, knowing in her heart this trial was going to take place. She had hoped it wouldn't be in such a barbaric way, but, as she mentioned earlier, this would be done as the position of Queen versus that of Mother or Dark Lord.

Moka was about to say cry, it was obvious as the whimper that left her lips, but it took one look at the younger sister's appraising gaze for her to realize how far she, as a vampire and elder sister had fallen.

"It's good to see you again, Kokoa-chan."

The brittle smile Moka gave her itmotou barely registered on her sister's face.

"Mother Akasha?" Kokoa turned to face Moka's mother, glancing purposely at the tag in the hand of the guard Akasha still held in her perfect grip.

With little emotion, Akasha released the hand. Giving Moka one last gaze, she voiced what she had earlier with just a look.

_Be brave._

Freed, the guard slapped the tag on Moka's head. A fiery pulse surrounded her, dissolving her into a flurry of smaller shadows that disappeared like smokey confetti.

xxx

From the grand hall, a cheer, an uproar, a loud reverberating echo of applause reached Tsukune's ears. Something dark and cold ran down his spine, like a ghostly touch of a predator about to pounce.

As much as he wanted to deny it, in his heart, Tsukune knew Moka had just made her appearance. Why? He had only had one thing to ask himself to confirm his hypothesis: What would stir a throng of vampires into such a noisy frenzy?

Entertainment by blood.

Then it hit him, among the scents he was assaulted with, there it was...barely discernible through the mass of other aromas present, her's was there just as he had remembered its fragrance when they last held the other.

Before his death.

He tried not to think about that moment, considering everything that he was about to be presented with concerning Gin's website and her pregnancy, but there was no denying that look in her eyes before everything went black.

She was feeling his pain when he was being torn, she begged him to know she loved him, she pleaded with him to forgive her. Everything she said, every word uttered, including their last conversation at his mom's house over the phone, made him teeter on the apex of what he should do, if he was to do anything. Everything that had happened, everything that she now endured was brought about by her actions. Just as he had to suffer his choices, this was a result of her own.

When he could see past the heads of the crowd gathered, he only had to direct his eyes where theirs were lingering with delight to find her.

Up.

"Moka..."

xxx

Down.

They were all down there, staring at her, giggling behind fans or gloved fingers. She could see their fangs peek through their mocking grins or smirks, each one a measured contort of disgust or antipathy. Every now and then someone would show the slightest bit of pity. Was that the most she would get at this moment of her life?

Pity?

Moka had only to look to her right and to her left to see her wrist were bound by shackles connected to the heavy raw cut bough that dangled from the chain attached to the ceiling. Her feet and legs were wrapped with wire, barbed wire. It bit into her skin just enough to cut but hardly enough to bleed, less she move. While she offered no complaint aloud, she didn't need to wondered what it meant to be in this kind of position, hovering over them all as a chandelier with torches lit at the cross linked lumber supporting her in mid air staring down.

Yes, for the start of tonight's entertainment, she had been crucified.

Naked, her pink hair loosely draped over her face to give her the tiniest bit of modesty, Aono Moka searched the faces, each one offering another form aversion to her maternal state or whispered word of her smell.

They all pointed, especially towards the showing bump low on her abdomen.

She could hear their snickers, their gasps when word spread of what she was carrying inside of her.

Disease, cancer, germ, and, above all, abomination were used often enough that it sounded like overlapping variations of another. Only the different tones of their disgust wavered. Among the faces, she saw her sisters Kahlua and Kokoa. Kokoa kept her gaze straight forward and stoic. Whatever love the youngest Shuzen had for her was now lost somewhere in eyes that were as ashamed as the rest of the crowd gathered. Kahlua offered her a serene gaze of acceptance. This was their life, one that they had been warned about since birth. Even she, the ditzy bumbling blonde knew that.

Kahlua offered her a friendly wave and smile, as if this was just another day or event and Moka's punishment was just some kind of small thing to not be taken seriously.

Among the smoke, the candle light, the beautifully decorated bodies moving over each other in a graceful dance and social chatter, she got the hint of a scent she had been looking for since she had last heard his voice over the phone.

Her head shot up, looking about, almost in a panic.

He was there, but where?

Left, right, down, her neck jerked to even try and look behind her, but he wasn't there. A few chuckles and ill mannered comments made her way, but it didn't matter.

Where was he?

Where was her...

It was his stride, even if it was just the darkness of his shadow. She knew it, oh, how she knew it was him. From the length of his legs, the taper of his waist, the hands that had touched her and held her so lovingly, so carefully, to the shoulders that she had leaned against, had fell asleep on, and then, from his chin, to his mouth, to his nose and his eyes.

There he was, right before her, alive, staring at her, knowing where she was before she knew where he was.

Her beloved had come to her, witnessing the deepest pit of her shame, and all she could think about was how happy she was that he was alive.

"Tsukune..."

Before she could raise her voice, in the middle of the raised dais underneath her, Gyokuro presented herself, prowling the floor with that hint of a smile that was demeaning and prideful beyond words. With a lift of her fine hand, the crowd quieted.

It was time to begin.


End file.
